TJIE CAT EH PILLAR. 
SO 7 
days feeding, and at intervals casting its skin, begins at last 
to prepare for its change into an aurelia. 
Preparatory to this important change, the caterpillar most 
usually quits the plant or tree on which it fed ; or at least 
attaches itself to the stalk or the stem, more gladly than the 
leaves. It forsakes its food, and prepares, by fastino- to 
undergo its transmutation. 
1 hose of them which are capable of spinning themselves a 
web, set about this operation ; those which have already spun 
await the change in the best manner they are able. The web 
or cone, with which some cover themselves, hides the aurelia 
contained within from the view; but in others, where it is 
more transparent, the caterpillar, when it has done spinning 
strikes in the claws of the two feet under the tail, and after- 
wards forces in the tail itself, by contracting those claws, and 
violently striking the feet one against the other. If, however, 
they be taken from the web at this time, they appear in a 
state of great languor ; and, incapable of walking, remain on 
that spot where they are placed. In this condition they re- 
main one or two days, preparing to change into an aurelia; 
somewhat in the manner they made preparations for chang- 
ing their skin. They then appear with their bodies bent into 
a bow, which they now and then are seen to straighten : 
they make no use of their legs; but, if they attempt to 
change place, do it by the contortions of their body. 
In proportion as their change into an aurelia approaches, 
their body becomes more and more bent; while their exten- 
sions and convulsive contractions become more frequent. The 
hinder end of the body is the part which the animal first 
disengages from its caterpillar skin; that part of the skin 
remains empty, while the body is drawn up towards the 
head. In the same manner they disengage themselves 
from the two succeeding rings; so that the animal is then 
lodged entirely in the fore part of its caterpillar covering; 
that half which is abandoned, remains flaccid and empty ; 
while the fore part, on the contrary, is swollen and distended. 
The animal, having lints quitted tile binder part of its skin, 
to drive itself up into the fore part, still continues to heave 
and work as before ; so that the skull is soon seen to burst 
into three pieces, and a longitudinal opening is made in the 
three first rings of the body, through which the insect thrusts 
forth its naked body, with strong efforts. Thus, at last, it 
entirely gets free from its caterpillar skin, and for ever for- 
sakes its most odious reptile form. 
The caterpillar, thus stripped of its skin for the last time, 
is now become an aurelia, in which the parts of the future 
