114 
LECTURE IX. 
These insects deposit their eggs in the bodies 
of other living Insects, and gei^rally in those of 
Caterpil lars. For this purpose the female Ichneumon 
selects her victim, and in spite of all the efforts of 
the tormented animal, pierces its skin, and deposits 
her eggs beneath : the Caterpillar after the first 
pain is over appears to suffer nothing •, but after 
a few days the inclosed eggs hatch, and the larvas of 
the Ichneumons are nourished by the juices of the 
Caterpillar, which at length dies in consequence ^ 
but sometimes not till it has undergone its change 
into a chrysalis. 
Some very minute Ichneumons deposit their 
eggs in even the eggs themselves of Moths and 
Butterflies. So small are some species of this very 
numerous genus. 
The next Order, called Dipta^a, consists of 
Insects with two wings only, as the whole race of 
Flies, strictly so called, as well as Gnats and a 
great variety of other Insects. 
All the real Flies, or those of the genus Musca, 
are derived from Maggots, which have themselves 
been hatched from the eggs deposited by the 
parent Flies. But of these Maggots many differ 
greatly from each other both in form as well as 
