Marvels of the Universe 



457 



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!'] 



, H..~c.,t\E.S. 



illiiiil, M„ 

 THE BINSiTTA MOTH. 



This beautiful moth, with glistening white wings dappled with brown, 

 emerges from the remarkable chrysalis sho\vn below. 



is known to be the case. Apparently 

 the tails of some comets have gradually 

 lagged behind until portions of them 

 extend along the greater part of their 

 orbit, and when the earth crosses that 

 orbit shooting-stars are seen. 



It would be fruitless to catalogue 

 here the many falls that have occurred. 

 Our national collection has nearly six 

 hundred specimens, of which a dozen 

 fell in the British Isles. The latest was 

 that which was seen to fall at Crumlin, 

 Antrim, in 1902. This weighs eight 

 pounds. Most of them were stony 

 meteorites, or as they are called, 

 aerolites, consisting for the most part 

 of silicates. The meteoric irons are 

 known as siderites, and consist chiefly of nickel-bearing iron. Others contain both iron and 

 silicates in large proportion, and these are called siderolites. 



It is scarcely to be wondered at that these messengers from space have been regarded with awe 

 and veneration in the past. Even with the cold light of science thrown upon them we do not 

 regard them as any the less wonderful. Our knowledge of them has increased, but with this 

 increase of knowledge has come a more thorough appreciation of the marvels of our solar system, 

 which may itself be perhaps but a portion of a greater system which at present we have not been 

 able to fathom. 



THE SNAKE'S HEAD CHRYSALIS 



BY HUGH II.MX, B.SC, F.E.S. 



When a butterfly or moth is in the 

 chrysalis stage of its existence it is 

 usually very inactive and thus unable 

 to escape by any movements from its 

 enemies, such as birds or lizards, who 

 would gladly make a meal of it. 



We find that the caterpillar often 

 buries itself in the ground, or hides itself 

 away in some crevice, or spins a cocoon 

 more or less strong, in which the next 

 change may take place, and where the 

 chrysalis can remain secure from the 

 weather and protected from observa- 

 tion. 



In other cases where the chrysalis is 

 not thus hidden away, it has been noted 

 that it frequently bears a resemblance 



to some other object, and so, for one ;.,,»/».,/,,,] [//»»/, .i/,„„, «..*., f.£.,s. 



reason or another, escapes being taken the snake's head chrysalis. 



for what it reaUv is. "^^^ chrysalis, to protect itself in its inactive state, assumes the 



appearance of a bird-eating snaUe. I he black eyes, the nostrils, snout. 

 Such resemblances, which also occur mouth and chin arc all faithfully reproduced. 



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