MOTH. 
355 
beginning anew, they fastened their threads upon 
what came in their way, and began to spin very 
regularly in my presence, bending their heads up 
and down, and then crossing on every side. The 
worm at that time confined its motions to a very 
contracted space, and by degrees had entirely sur- 
rounded itself with silk. The remainder of the 
operation is invisible, but one may guess how it 
was accomplished. The animal, to finish its mantle, 
drew out of its bag a gum, which it spun into a less 
delicate silk, and then thickened it with a strong 
glue, which served to bind all the last ranks of this 
silk over one another.” 
Thus we may plainly distinguish three coverings, 
which are entirely different from each other. Ex- 
ternally the cone is composed of the flue, or cottony 
substance that keeps off the rain ; the fine silk within 
this forms a tissue that prevents all access of air ; 
and the glued silk next the body of the chrysalis 
not only defends it from water and air, but also 
renders the inside of this habitation inaccessible to 
the cold. The cone is like a pigeon’s egg, and more 
pointed at one end than the other. The worm 
never fails to fix her head opposite the pointed ex- 
tremity, as she is conscious that part is not so 
strongly cemented nor so exactly closed as the rest, 
and therefore better fitted for the passage of the fu- 
ture moth, which will have to force its way out of 
the cone. 
After the worm has quite completed her cell she 
resigns herself with patience to her fate, and re- 
2 A 2 
