The 
Fic. vi. 
After delineating, under No. VI. the male 
Butterfly, together with its moft elegant horns, 
its fine and flender body, and four expanded 
wings; I exhibit under the fame No. VI. all 
thefe parts; but much more imperfect; viz. 
aa. Two uncouth horns or antenne. 
b. A thick and diftended body. 
cc. Four fhort. wings, or rather only rude 
portraitures of wings. 
Hence it is evident, that it may be truly faid 
that this female has no wings. We may, for 
this reafon, fee all its fix legs without any im- 
pediment ; though in the male they lie fo far 
under the wings, that only the two fore ones 
are occafionally feen between the horns and 
fuperior wings; as is manifeft under NY. Vi. 
In refpect therefore to this {pecies of infects, 
it deferves notice in what a wonderful manner 
the adorable Creator has eftablifhed diftinctions 
between the males and females; and what 
‘noble prerogatives he has given to one, and 
denied to the other, of them. Whilft beauti- 
ful antenne, an agile and light body, and very 
{wift flying wings, raife the male to the thrones 
and {ceptres, as it were, of kings; the female, 
being deprived of all thofe remarkable privi- 
leges, and fcarce able to bear the load of a 
wollen, tumid, and thick body, feems to be 
condemned by the moft wife Nature, who has 
given fovereignty and dignity to the male only, 
to keep her neft perpetually, and take care of 
domeftic affairs. Hence it likewife is, that 
this female, like a moft prudent houfewile, 
never goes out of her habitation; but is always 
fixing the fruits of her matrimony, that is, her 
eggs, to the furface of the web out of which 
fhe herfelf crept; as may be feen in Fig. 111. 
Indeed, this cuftom of faftening the eggs to 
the web in a conftant method, and, by the im- 
mutable law of nature, is fo peculiar to this 
fpecies of infects, that I have never hitherto 
obferved it in any other kind whatfoever. 
This female, therefore, affords a beautiful in- 
ftance of induftrious houfewifery ; and, there- 
fore, fhe deferves to be dignified with that 
name. The male, in due time, revifiting his 
female, and paying her the proper tribute of 
benevolence, fhews, in his {pecies, that he 
never deviates from the character of a chafte 
and honeft husband ; fince he gives the aflift- 
ance of his excellence and dignity to the 
female, and fupports her weakneis *. 
DiGawiL 
The female is here reprefented, according 
to nature, fo full of eggs, that her whole belly 
is diftended with them; and as the integu- 
ments of this part is very thin, the eggs are 
diftinéily vifible through it. Nay, it is like- 
wife feen how the fkin turns and infinuates it- 
felf round the convex windings of the eggs, 
and runs into the little {paces between them ; 
Hu 6 © .OR % Gh IsNSeH COTS. : 
i 
3 
fo that it is like a clufter of grapes. In ordet | 
to produce thefe eggs very. clearly to view, the 
ikin needs only (Tab. XXXII. Fig. vir, 2.) 
be diffected in the belly and back, and raifed 
from the body towards the hinder parts; for - 
then one may diftinCly fee after what manner 
they are placed within. ‘Thefe eggs are found 
to be of a round figure, when taken out of the 
body ; and have on the upper part, as I have 
already obferved, a purple ring: but, on the 
lower part, they are of a white glittering hue, 
like pearls. Their thell or fkin is fo hard, that 
when they are dried in the air, they are not 
liable to break; and, therefore, the natural 
preferved fpeeimens of them will be always 
agreeable to the perfon who fees them. 
It is very remarkable in this creature, that, 
when it is yet in the condition of a Caterpillar, 
one may, even then, manifeftly fee in it the 
rudiments of eggs. Thefe, when the Cater- 
pillar is changed into a Chrytfalis, fhew them- 
felves much more diftin€tly, and, having ac- 
quired their utmoft perfection, are at length 
feen thus elegantly in the Butterfly itfelf;’ that 
is, they feem watery in the Caterpillar: they 
appear in the Chryfalis, as it were, nembra- 
naccous and flexible; but in the infect itfelf 
they are hard, and refemble a real fhell, very 
little different from that of hen’s eggs; and, 
for this reafon alfo, they will crack and break 
like an earthen veffel. From hence appears — 
the reafon, why thefe eggs retain their figure, 
when dried; for this is the cafe, with refpect 
to all eggs that have a hard fhell: whereas the 
contrary obtains, in all thofe that have a thin 
and tender fkin ; as may be feen in the eges of 
Bees, and many other infects, which are almott 
entirely deftroyed by drying them. 
Before I conclude this hittory, it may be ne- 
ceffary to add fomething more concerning the 
parts of the Aurelia, that thefe may be the 
more appolitely compared with the parts of the 
Nymphs, and the difference between them 
underftood. When thefe and other Caterpil- 
lars are cafting their fkin, and prefenting their 
before hidden parts to outward view, in the 
beginning of this change we obferve them 
foit, tender, and fomewhat moift; and this is 
the cafe likewife about the parts of the Nymphs 
themifelves. But, a little after thefe feveral 
parts in the Chryfallides approach toward each 
other, they are then joined together ; arcana 
deed fo clofely, evenly, and equally united, 
that they reprefent, as it were, a continuous, 
fmooth, undivided, and varnifhed fkin. This 
is by no means the cafe in the parts of 
Nymphs: for they are not at all joined; but 
are only difpofed near each other in fuch a 
manner, that one may diftinély fee each of 
them. This is the true difference between 
the parts of the Nymph and thofe of the 
Chryfalis. 
* The progeny of the fame fpecies of Butterfly may, under favourable circumftances, be hatched at two feafons of the year ? and 
confequently two generations, inftead of one, may be produced in one year. 
Reaumur has obferved, that the egos of the Butterfly, 
which would be hatched in a few days if laid in fummer, will, if depofited in autumn, lie till the winter; and, unlefs the cold have 
been fevere, hatch the following fpring. 
The Butterflies produced in about fix weeks from the Caterpillars of thefe eggs, will lay 
their eggs in fo warm a feafon, that they will hatch, and pafs through all their changes into Butterflies the fame year. 
The 
