834 
E N TO M 
Fig. 13, the female. Fig. 14, a Ditterous infedt: ; the 
Oeftrus equi. Fig. 15, its female: this produces the 
Lots in hories. Fig. 16, an Af ferous infedt; the female 
of the Fermes fatale, or white ant. Fig. 17, the male of 
the fame, which being winged, may, while in this hate, 
be conlidered as a Neuropterons infedt. See the larvce 
and chryfalides of thefe feven orders of infects, in the En¬ 
tomology Plate II. 
Of the TRANSFORMATION of INSECTS. 
Infedts are diftinguifhed from other animals by the 
wonderful changes that all thofe of the winged fpecies 
without exception, and fotne which are deflituteof wings, 
neceffarily pafs through, before they can arrive at the 
perfection of their nature. Molt animals retain, during 
their whole life, the fame form which they receive at 
their birth ; but infedts go through various exterior and 
interior changes, infomuch that the fame individual, at 
its birth and middle (late, differs elTentially from that un¬ 
der which it appears when arrived at a date of maturity ; 
and this difference is not confined to marks, colour, or 
texture, but is extended to their form, proportion, mo¬ 
tion, organs, and habits of life. It was not till towards 
the latter end of the feventeenth century, that any juft 
conception of this fubject was formed. By diffedtion juft 
before their changes, it was readily feen that the moth 
and butterfly grow and ftrengthen themfelves, that their 
members are formed and unfolded under the figure of the 
infedt we call a caterpillar, and that the growth is^effect¬ 
ed by a developement of parts ; confequently the changes 
which are apparently fudden to our eyes, are gradually 
formed under the fkin of the animal, and only appear fud¬ 
den to us, becaufe the infedt then gets rid of a cafe which 
had before concealed its members. By this cafe it is pre- 
ferved from injuries, till its wings-, and every other part of 
its delicate frame, are in a condition to bear the intpulfe 
of the fun, and the action of the air; and when all the 
parts are grown firm, and ready to perform their feveral 
offices, the perfedt animal appears in the form of its pa¬ 
rents. Thefe transformations clearly prove, that without 
experience every thing in nature would appear a myftery ; 
fo much fo, that a perfon unacquainted with the tranf- 
fbrmation of the caterpillar to the chryfalis, and of this 
to the fly, would confider them as three diftindt fpecies 
of infedts ; for who, by the mere light of reafon unaided 
by experience, could believe that a butterfly, adorned 
with four beautiful wings, furnifhed with a long fpiral 
probofcis or tongue, inftead of a mouth, and with fix 
legs, proceeded from a hairy caterpillar, provided with 
jaws and teeth, and fourteen feet? Without experience, 
who could imagine that a long white foft worm hid under 
the earth, fhould be transformed into a cri£ftaceous cha¬ 
fer ? Nor could any one, from confidering them in their 
perfedt ftate, have difcovered the relation which they 
bear to the correfponding forms through which they have 
paffed, and which are to appearance as diftindt as differ¬ 
ence can make them. 
The life of thofe infedts which pafs through thefe va¬ 
rious changes, may be divided into four principal ftates. 
The firft change is from the egg into the larva ; or, as it 
is more generally called, into the worm or caterpillar. 
From the larva it paffes into the pupa, or chryfalis ftate. 
From the pupa, into the imago, or fly ftate. 
Few fubjedts are more expreffive of the extenfive good- 
nefs of Divine Providence, than thefe transformations, in 
which we find the temporary parts and organs of thefe 
little animals fuited and adapted with the mod minute 
exadtnefs to the manner of their exiftence; which again 
are fhifted and changed, upon the infedts commencing a 
new fcene and ftate of adtion. In its larva ftate the in- 
fedt appears groveling, heavy, and voracious, in the form 
of a worm, with a long body compofed of fttcceflive 
rings; crawling along by the aftiftance of thefe, or fmall 
little hooks, which are placed on the fide of the body. 
O L O G Y. 
Its head is armed with ftrong jaws, its eyes fmooth, en¬ 
tirely deprived of fex, the blood circulating from the 
hind part towards the head. It breathes through fmall 
apertures, which are fituated on each fide of the body, or 
through one or more tubes placed in the hinder part 
thereof. While it is in the larva ftate, the infedt is as it 
were maflced, aud its true appearance concealed ; for un¬ 
der this mafic the more perfedt form is hidden from the 
human eye. In the pupa, or chryfalis ftate, the infedt 
may be compared to a child in fwaddling clothes ; its 
members are all folded together under the bread, and in- 
cloled within one or more coverings, remaining there 
without motion. While in this ftate, no infects but 
thofe of the hemiptera clafs take any nourifnment. The 
change is effedted various ways ; in fome infedts the fkin 
of the larva opens, and leaves a paffage, with all its inte¬ 
guments ; in others, the fkin hardens and becomes a fpe¬ 
cies of cone, which entirely conceals the infedt ; others 
form or fpin cones for themfelves, and in this ftate they 
remain till the parts have acquired fufficient firmnefs, and 
are ready to perform their feveral offices. The infect 
then calls off the fpoils of its former ftate, wakes from a 
death-like inadtivity, breaks the inclofures of its tomb, 
throws oft' the dufky fliroud, and appears in its imago or 
perfedt form; for it has now attained the ftate of organi- 
cal perfedtion, which anfwers to the rank it is to hold in 
the corporeal world : the ftrudture of the body, the alimem. 
tary organs, and thofe of motion, are materially changed. 
It is now fnrniftied with organs of generation, and with 
wings magnificently adorned ; it foars above its former 
purfuits, plays in the genial air, choofes its mate, and 
tranfmits its nature to a fucceeding race. Thofe mem¬ 
bers, which in the preceding ftate were wrapped up, foft, 
and motionlefs, now difplay themfelves, grow ftrong, and 
are put in exercife. The interior changes are as confi- 
derable as thofe of the exterior form, and that in pro¬ 
portion as the firft ftate differs from the laft ; fome organs 
acquire greater ftrength and firmnefs, others are rendered 
more delicate ; fome are fuppreffed, and fome unfolded 
which did not appear to exift in the former ftages of 
its life. 
The greater part of thofe infedts which come forth in 
fpring or fummer, perifh at the approach of winter; 
there are very few, the period of whole life exceeds that 
of a year; thofe which furvive the rigours of winter, are 
buried under ground; many are hid in the bark of trees, 
and others in the chinks of old walls ; fome, like the 
caterpillar of the brown-tailed moth, at the approach of 
winter fecure and ftrengthen the web in which the fociety 
inhabit, and thus protedt themfelves, till the fpring ani¬ 
mates them to new life. Many that are hatched in the 
autumn, retire and live under the earth during the winter 
months, but in the fpring come out, feed, and proceed 
onward to their feveral changes; while no fmall part pafs 
the colder months in their chryfalis or pupa ftate : but 
the greater number of the caterpillar race remain in the 
egg, being carefully depofited by the parent fly in thofe 
places where they will be hatched with the greateft 
fafety ; in this ftate the latent principle of life is preferved 
till the genial influences of the fpring call it into adtion, 
and bring forth the young infedt to Ihare the banquet that 
nature there provides. 
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 
is divided into twelve rings ; the head is connedted with 
the firft, and is hard and cruftaceous. No caterpillar of 
the moth or butterfly has lefs than eight, or more than 
fixteen, feet; the fix firft 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 refpedt to their external figure, they 
are 
