BUENET ICHNEUMON. 273 



subdued, as is the case with the upper part of the wing, but 

 are startling from their extreme brilliancy. The circumference 

 of the cell is emerald, enclosing three distinct centres of colour- 

 ing which seem to divide the cell into three parts. The upper 

 division consists of a large emerald patch, changing in the centre 

 by imperceptible gradations to golden green. Immediately 

 below the green comes a patch of fiery ruby, edged on one side 

 with azure and on the other with golden yellow. The third, or 

 lowermost division, is chiefly blue, edged on one side with ruby 

 and on the other with golden yellow. Thus, we have in this one 

 cell three centres of colour, each centre being one of the three 

 primary colours, and changing by degrees to the secondaries and 

 tertiaries. The next ceU is coloured in a similar manner, except 

 that the colours which form the centre of the divisions in the 

 last-mentioned cell form their circumferences in this case ; and 

 the base of the wings fades off into delicate shades of pink and 

 rays of golden yellow like the tip. 



Now it must be borne in mind that the microscope has 

 nothing to do with the production of these colours, but is limited 

 to their exhibition. These wondrous colours already exist, 

 although they are on so small a scale that the unassisted eye 

 fails to separate them, and so they are blended together and 

 appear to be colourless. I mention these apparent platitudes 

 because, while exhibiting the microscope, I have found many 

 persons falling into the error of supposing that the wondrous 

 beauties which they see are due either to the excellence of the 

 instrument or the skill of the operator. 



After the Burnet Ichneumon has laid the eggs she leaves them 

 to be hatched in the animal, which is generally, but not always, 

 the caterpillar of the Burnet moth {Anthrocera JUipendulce), 

 itseK a pensile insect This is not always the case, as one of 

 my group of Burnet Ichneumons proceeded from the body of a 

 caterpillar belonging to the geometridae. It was too much 

 shrivelled for identification, but it was about as large as the 

 larva of the swallow-tailed moth. 



In the body of the caterpillar they live until the larval stage 

 is nearly completed, and then they burst on all sides through the 

 skin of their victim, proceed to a small twig and there weave a 

 number of cocoons. These cocoons are about the eighth of an 

 inch in length, cylindrical in shape, set closely side by side and 



T 



