210 THE BUTTERFLY VIVARIUM. 



metamorphoses of the purple-winged Dragon-fly, 

 Calopteryx Virgo, the elegant and richly-tinted crea- 

 ture which is represented with tolerable accuracy 

 in Plate VI. No. 4. 



We have not the chance of experiencing the enthu- 

 siasm of the old Dutch naturalist, as the interest of 

 the metamorphosis is no longer new; and yet a series 

 of similar observations, in which many discoveries 

 are yet to be made, would teach so much more, even 

 to a modern student, than books can teach, that we 

 cannot help recommending such of our readers as 

 determine to set up an Insect Vivarium to make a 

 series of such " experiments" for themselves, care- 

 fully and minutely noting down in detail the result 

 of all their observations. It was thus that the first 

 studies of the young Cuvier were made; and the 

 manuscript memoranda thus prepared merely for his 

 own use, were, greatly to their author's surprise, 

 pronoun<?efd by Geoffroy St. Ililairc the foundation 

 of a new code of Natural Science. 



After the fresh-born Dragon-fly has succeeded in 

 extracting his body, especially the long and slender 

 tail or abdomen, from the prison in which it has 

 been so closely packed, the wings, as described, attain 

 their full size with amazing rapidity ; but the pre- 

 sence of these new appendages does not appear to 



