INSECTS. 
241 
which a little fly was buzzing on its wing, as if de- 
liberating where to settle ; I was surprised to see 
the herd of caterpillars, creatures of twenty times 
its size, endeavouring in an uncouth manner, by 
various contortions of the body, to get out of its 
way, and more so whenever the fly poised on its 
wing as if going to drop : at length the creature 
made its choice, and seated itself on the back of one 
of the largest and fairest of the cluster. It was in 
vain the unhappy reptile endeavoured to dislodge 
the enemy : * its anguish now seemed intolerable, 
and I soon found it was in consequence of the 
wounds or strokes given by the fly : at every wound 
the poor caterpillar writhed and twisted its whole 
frame, endeavouring to disengage itself by shaking 
ofF the enemy, sometimes aiming its mouth towards 
the place ; but it was all in vain, its little but cruel 
tormentor kept its place. When it had inflicted 
thirty or forty of these wounds it took its flight with 
a visible triumph ; in each of these wounds the little 
fly had deposited an egg. I took the caterpillar home 
with me, to observe the progress of the eggs which 
were thus placed in its body, taking care to give it a 
fresh supply of leaves from time to time. It recovered 
to all appearance from the wounds it had received ; 
and from that time for the space of four or five days 
seemed to live comfortably, feeding voraciously. 
The eggs were all hatched into small, oblong, vora- 
cious worms, which from the moment of their ap- 
pearance fed on the flesh of the caterpillar, in whose 
body they were enclosed, and seemingly without 
VOL. II. 
R 
