ON LARVJE. 65 



wings, but also the antennae, the legs, the thorax, 

 the abdomen, and indeed all the members of the 

 perfect insect. From the semi-fluid state of these 

 embryo members of the imago contained witliin the 

 Caterpillar, the great entomological anatomist had 

 found at first great difficulty in detecting them, 

 though his theory convinced him of their existence. 

 But, considering that the fluids of an egg become 

 solidified by being placed for a time in boiling 

 water, he made a similar experiment upon the 

 analogous substances of the Caterpillar, which 

 naturally produced a similar result ; and in that 

 state he was enabled to demonstrate not only the 

 co-existence from the birth of all the skins which 

 are to be shed one after another, till the larva 

 attains its full growth, but also of all the parts 

 of the perfect insect enclosed within them. He 

 was enabled to perform some of his experiments 

 of this kind by placing the Caterpillar for a few 

 days in pure alcohol, which he found to produce 

 the same effect as boiling water, though not so 

 quickly. 



In these investigations the wings were found 

 to be spirally folded, the antennae and proboscis 

 curiously packed against the inner front of the 

 head, and the legs, though so different in form, 



p 



