

LEPIDOPTERA. 193 
posed showers of blood fell on the outskirts of Aix, in Provence, 
and this rain extended for the distance of half a league from the 
town. Some priests of the town deceived themselves; or, desirous 
of turning to account the credulity of the people, dic not hesitate 
to attribute this event to satanic agency. Fortunately, a learned 
man, M. de Peiresc, who was not only well versed in the know- 
ledge of ancient literature, but who was, moreover, familiar with 
the natural sciences, discovered that a prodigious multitude of 
_ butterflies were flying about in the places which were thus mira- 
culously covered with blood. He collected some chrysalides and 
put them into a box, and letting them hatch there, observed the 
blood-like liquid, and hastened to make it known to the friends 
of the miraculous. He established the fact that the supposed drops 

of blood were only found in cavities, in interstices, under the copings 
_ of walls, &c., and never on the surface of stones turned upwards ; 
' and proved by these observations that they were drops of a red 
| liquid deposited by the butterflies. 
However, in spite of the reassuring remarks of the learned 
_ Peiresc, the people in the outskirts of Aix continued to feela 
genuine terror at the sight of these tears of blood which stained 
the soil. Peiresc attributes to this same cause some other showers 
of blood related by historians, and which took place about the same 
season. Such was a shower of rain which was supposed to have 
fallen in the time of Childebert, at Paris, and in a house m the 
territory of Senlis. Such again was a so-called bloody shower 
- which showed itself towards the end of June, during the reign of 


king Robert of France. Réaumur points out the large Tortoise- 
shell as being the most capable of spreading these sorts of alarms 
founded on a deplorable ignorance and the spirit of superstition. 
« Thousands,”’ says he, ‘‘ change into pup towards the end of 
May or the beginning of June. Before their transformation they 
leave the trees, often fastening themselves to walls, and, making 
their way into country-houses, they suspend themselves to the 
frames of doors, &c. If the butterflies which come out of them 
towards the end of June or the beginning of July were all to fly 
together, there would be enough of them to form little clouds or 
swarms, and consequently there would be enough to cover the 
stones in certain localities with spots of a blood-red colour, and to 
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