20G STATES OF INSECTS, 



bewildered, retire to any small hole on the surface of the 

 earth, covering themselves with dead leaves, moss, or the 

 like, or to the chinks of trees, or niches in walls and other 

 building's, or similar hiding-places. Many penetrate to 

 the depth of several inches under ground, and there form 

 an appropriate cavern by pushing away the surrounding 

 earth; to which they often give consistence by wetting it 

 with a viscid fluid poured from the moutlv. The larvae 

 of other insects undertake long and arduous journeys in 

 search of appropriate places of shelter. Those of flesh- 

 flies, now satiated with the mass of putridity in which 

 they have wallowed, leave it, and conceal themselves in 

 any adjoining heap of dust. The grubs of the gad-fly 

 ( CEstrns) creep some of them out of the backs of cattle, 

 in tumours of which they have resided, and suffer them- 

 selves to fall to the earth ; while others, which have fed 

 in the stomach of horses, quit their hold, and by a still 

 more extraordinary and perilous route are carried through 

 the intestines the whole length of their numerous circum- 

 volutions, and are discharged at the anus. And without 

 enumerating other instances, various aquatic larvee, as 

 that of a common fly [Elophiliis pendukis), &c. leave the 

 water, now no longer their proper element, and betake 

 themselves to the shore, there to undergo their metamor- 

 phosis. 



Most of these, having reached their selected retreat, 

 require no other precaution ; but another large tribe of 

 larvae have recourse to further manoeuvres for their de- 

 fence before they assume the pupa. Those of the aphi- 

 divorous flies (Sz/rphus F. &c), of the various lady-birds 

 (CoccinellaL.), and tortoise-beetles (Cassida L.), &c. fix 

 themselves by the anus with a gummy substance to the 



