OF THE WHITE BUTTERFLY AND ANT. 101 



hair at the anus, almost like a hair-pencil cut short, and which is 

 easily removed, has some of the hair carried along with each egg as she 

 lays them. I suspect that the mucus on the egg entangles the hair. 

 There appears to be more hair deposited on the whole clutch of eggs 

 than we see at the anus ; therefore I suspect it grows in the time of 

 laying. I caught one of these moths laying its eggs on the leaf of the 

 ' paper- tree ' ' on the 8th of June. 



Moths fly about in the dark, seek their food and see in the dark. 

 Look at the eye of a silk-moth by candlelight, and you will see it 

 shine in particular lights. As the eye of a cat [shines in the dark], so 

 does the eye of a moth. 



On the White Butterfly [Pontia Brassica, or Pontia Rajjce] . 



This insect comes forth in the month of May, and about the latter 

 end of May the female is full of eggs. In 1790 I saw one about the 

 middle of April ; the winter and spring had been remarkably mild. 



They have a crop like the common fly, tfcc. I found a chrysalis in 

 the latter end of June, and the winged insect came out of its cell, July 

 2nd. Query, was this chrysalis of the same summer's growth, or of the 

 last year's ? If it was the last year's, then it was late, when we com- 

 pare it with those above mentioned, that came out in April or May. 

 Or, do they breed twice in the same summer ? Or, do the first brood 

 in the summer bring forth the second brood, and those that brought 

 forth the first die '? and when the first brood has laid the eggs, does that 

 brood also die ? I shoidd think this most probable. 



It would appear from Mr. Marsham's account of the inductions of 

 spring*, that the yellow-butterfly [Gonopteryoc Mhamni] is the earliest 

 butterfly that comes forth ; and that they are coming forth earlier now 

 than formerly. This cannot be called civilization among them. 



Of the Ant. 



The natural history of the ant is very curious ; they perform every 

 function in life before they are complete ; when complete they appear 

 to be idle, only walking very gravely about. If so lame that they 

 cannot walk, they are attended by those which are yet but workers. 



They are both offensive and defensive animals ; they make an attack, 

 and they defend. I have put a large ant among some small ones, and 

 they have attacked it. If they are disturbed, and you move the hand 

 * Philosophical Transactions, vol. lxxix. part 2. 



1 [The Paper Mulberry-tree (Brucca papyri/era).] 



