ve ; ‘NATURAL HISTORY. 
creating vigour, the parts have acquired the neceflary force and foltd’ 
ty, the butterfly then feeks to difembarrafs itfelf of thofe bands whi¢ 
Kept it fo long in confinement. Some infeéts continue under the for 
of an aurelia not above ten days; fome twenty ; fome feveral months! 
and even for a year together. © 
The butterfly, however, does not continue fo long under the fort 
of an aurelia, as one would be'apt to imagine. In general, thofe c¥ 
" terpillars that provide themfelves-with cones, continue within: them but 
a few days after the cone is completely finithed: Some, however, * 
main buried in this artificial covering for eight or nine months, with 
out taking the fmalleft fuflenance during the whole time: and thou 
in the caterpillar ftate no animals: were fo voracious, when thus tran 
formed, they appear a miracle of abitinence. In. all,:fooner or latels 
the butterfly burfts from its prifons net only that natural prifon whi 
is formed by: the fkin of the aurelia, but alfo from that artificial one of 
filk, or any other fubftance in which it has enclofed itfelf. ; 
The efforts which the butterfly makes to get free from its aureli# 
flate, are by-no means fo violent as thofe which: the infe@ had in cha® 
ging from the caterpillar into the aurelias The quantity of moiftuf 
farrounding the butterfly is by no means fo great as that attending is 
_ former change; and the fhell of the aurelia is fo dry, that it may ! 
cracked between the fingers.. i 
If the animal be fhut up within a cone; the butterfly always gets rid 
of the natural internal fkin ofthe aurelia, before it eats its way throug 
the external covering which its own induftry has formed round it. 
order to obferve the manner in which-it thus: gets rid of the aurel 
covering, we muft cut. open the cone, and then we fhall have an oppo 
tunity of difcovering the infeé’s efforts to emancipate itfelf from if 
natural fhell. When this operation begins, there feems to be a violet 
_ agitation in ithe humours contained within the little animal’s body. 
fluids feem driven, by an hafty fermentation, through all the veflelsi 
while it labours violently with its legs, and: makes feveral other violet! 
ftruggles to get free.- As all thefe motions concur with the growth 
the infe@’s wings and" body, it is impoflible that the brittle fkin whiob 
covers it fhould longer refit : ‘itiatlength gives way,-by buriting int? 
four diftin& and regular pieces:. The fkin of the head and legs gi! 
feparates; then the {kin at-the back flies open, and dividing into t¥ 
regular portions, difengages the back and wings: then there likewil 
happens another rupture-in that portion-which covered the rings of rhe 
back of the aurelia. After this, the butterfly, as if fatigued with i 
firuggles, remains very quiet for fome time, with its wings: point 
downwards, and its legs fixed.in the fkin which it had juft thrown of 
At fir® fight the animal, jult fet free, and permitted the future ule ? 
its wings, feems to want them entirely: they take up-fuch little room 
that one wou'd wonder where they were hidden. “But foon after, the! 
expand fo rapidly, that the eye can fearce attend their unfolding 
. From reaching fcarce half the length of the body, they acquires ny 
moft wonderful manner, their full extent and bignefs, fo as to be &”, 
five times larger than they were before. Nor is it the wings alone wht 
are thus increafed: all their {pots and paintings, before fo minuté 
to be fearce difcernible, are-proportionably extended ; fo that, whet 4 
few. minutes before feemed only a number. of confufed, -unmea™ 
po 
