304 THE SCHOOL OF REAUMUR 



("oculi anthracini "), eyes, we may remark, which are 

 such only in appearance, for they are unfurnished with 

 lenses, and are not borne on the head, but on the 

 thorax. Izaak Walton ^ translates Moufet's Latin into 

 picturesque English, but adds no further particulars. 

 "You shall find him" (the Puss-moth caterpillar) 

 " punctually to answer this very description : His lips 

 and mouth somewhat yellow, his eyes black as jet, his 

 forehead purple, his feet and hinder parts green, his 

 tayl two forked and black, the whole body stain'd with 

 a kind of red spots which run along the neck and 

 shoulder-blade, not unlike the form of Saint Andrew's 

 Crosse, or the letter X, made thus crosse-wise, and a 

 white line drawn down his back to his tayl ; all which 

 adde much beauty to his whole body." 



Goedart, Madame Merian and Albin figured the larva, 

 and Goedart remarked the appearance of a human face 

 given to the fore part of the body by an arrangement of 

 black dots ; he mentions also the cocoon made of willow 

 wood. 



Frisch ^ shortly described the stages, and gave tolerable 

 figures of them. He noticed the protrusible tails of the 

 larva, and the fact that they can be directed to any part 

 of the body which is touched ; this led him to the con- 

 clusion that they are defensive, but what the enemy 

 might be, and how the tails ward off an attack he did 

 not undertake to explain. Frisch mentions the retractile 

 head of the larva, and figures the round black spots 

 which look like eyes, but laughs at Goedart for having 

 seen in them the resemblance of a face. 



Kdaumur' gives a much fuller and better account of 

 the caterpillar, noticing the rose-coloured hood within 



^ Compleat Angler, chap, v., 3rd ed., 1661. 



" Beschr. Ins. TeutscMand, Pt. VI, ch. vjii. ^ y^^ jj^ M6m. vi. 



