I IO 
TRANSFORMATIONS OF INS E CIS. 
hairy tubercles upon them which are illuminated with vivid colours, 
and others carry spines which are very elegantly branched and 
twisted. They produce plenty of silk, and make large cocoons 
of it between the leaves of the trees they live upon before 
their metamorphosis. 
There is one of them which is rather common in Europe, the 
Attacus pavonia major , and another, which is found in England, 
Attacus pavonia minor (or Saturnia ) the Emperor Moth. The 
first-mentioned Attacus , which the French call the Night Peacock, 
lives, when in the caterpillar state, on fruit trees and elms. The 
caterpillar prepares for transformation towards August, and leaves 
the trees, and wanders over the roads, and crawls up walls in 
i 2 3 4 
FEET OF THE CATERPILLARS OF MOTHS. 
I. Sesia apiformis. 2. Attacus pavonia major. 3. Cucullia verbasci. 4. Noctua segetum. 
order to seek a safe shelter for its cocoon, and it is then often 
discovered and made captive. But should a comfortable place 
be obtained, a large, pear-shaped cocoon is spun, which is hard, 
and contains much gummy matter. It is open at the smaller 
end, and the fibres of it are so arranged that nothing can come 
in, whilst the moth, when it is ready, can go out with ease. All 
insects are thus kept carefully and effectually out of the snug 
silken house, and the mechanism of this interesting and very 
safe place depends upon the manner in which the caterpillar 
weaves the cocoon over itself before passing the silk from one 
side of it to the other. The feet of some of these caterpillars 
are very interesting, and those of the Attacus pavonia major are 
