Microscopical Essays, 



*95 



All caterpillars are hatched from the egg, and when they firft 

 proceed from it are generally fmall and feeble, but grow in 

 ftrength as they increafe in fize. The body of the caterpillar is 

 divided into twelve rings \ the head is connected with the firft, 

 and is hard and cruftaceous. No caterpillar of the moth or but- 

 terfly has lefs than eight, or more than fixteen feet ; thole which 

 have more than fixteen are not the larva of the moth or butterfly ; 

 the fix firft feet are cruftaceous, pointed, and fixed to the three 

 firft rings of the body ; thefe feet are the covering to the fix 

 future feet of the moth ; the other fix feet are foft and flexible, 

 or membranaceous ; they vary both in figure and number, and are 

 proper only to the larva ftate : with refpecl to their external 

 figure, they are either fmooth or hairy, foft to the touch, or hard 

 like fhagreen, beautifully adorned with a great variety of the 

 moft lively tints ; on each fide of the body nine little oval holes 

 are placed, which are generally confidered as the organs of 

 refpiration. There are on each fide of the head of the caterpillar 

 five or fix little black fpots, which are fuppoied to be it's eyes. 

 Thefe creatures vary in fize, from half an inch long to four 

 and five inches. 



The caterpillar, whofe life is one continued fucceflion of 

 changes, often moults it's fkin before it attains it's full growth. 

 Thefe changes are- the more lingular, becaufe when the cater- 

 pillar moults, it is not fimply the {kin that is changed ; for we 

 find in the exuvia the flaill, the jaws, and all the exterior parts, 

 both fcaly and membranaceous, which -compofe it's upper and 

 under lip, it's antennae, palpi, and even thofe cruftaceous pieces 

 within the head, which ferve as a fixed bafts to a number of 

 TOiifcLes j we further find in the exuvia, the fpiracula, -the -claws, 



A a 2 and 



