68 TRANSFORMATION OF INJECTS. 



time to do its part towards bringing into the world 

 other young ones like itself. 



The process of these changes is called the Meta- 

 morphosis or Transformation of Insects. It is a most 

 interesting subject, and full of wonders, of which I 

 can now only just mention one, as a striking instance 

 of the Divine Wisdom seen in nature, — namely, the 

 way in which the food is provided for the grub in its 

 larval state. 



In some cases— as with bees, wasps, and ants — 

 the food is provided not by the mother, but by other 

 insects of the colony — in some instances by the 

 mother herself The little grub is thus fed and 

 nursed, and taken infinite care of 



But in many cases, as with butterflies and moths, 

 the eggs are simply left in some spot by the mother, 

 who takes no more notice or care of them, but most 

 probably herself dies very shortly afterwards. Now 

 we might think that, these eggs are left, without care, 

 to chance, but it is not so ; for the mother insect has 

 selected just that place where, when the eggs are 

 hatched, the young larvae will find the kind of food 

 they want. See how remarkably this is the case with 

 the common white butterfly. You see it flying round 

 some cabbage plants rather than the gay flowers. 

 And why .? It does not want the cabbage for itself ; 

 but it knows, taught by the marvellous instinct given 

 to it, that the cabbage will afford the best possible 

 kind of food for its young when hatched. Thus it 

 goes to the cabbage, and there lays its eggs, covering 

 them over with a thin case to keep them from the 

 weather; and thus, when hatched, the young larvs 



