nance in their Infancy. 'Tis then

they address their Cries to the great Pfalm cxlvi. 9. Creator, and he multiplies Food for

tion

Their Dura

them, accomodated to the exceeding Delicacy of their Texture. In a word, 'tis for them that he every where difperfes Worms and Caterpillars. Count. The little Birds, in Reality, don't forfake their 'Eggs, till the Fields are replenished with Caterpillars; and these difappear when the Young, grown ftronger, have Occafion for another Sort of Nourishment, or can live without the Food they were firft accustomed to. Before the Month of April there are no Caterpillars, nor Broods of Birds. In the Month of August or September, there are neither Broods, nor Caterpillars; the Earth is then covered with Grain, and other Provifions of every kind.

Prior. Till that Time the Birds have Caterpillars affigned them for their Support; and 'tis but juft that these should likewife be furnished with proper Food, and this they are supplied with from the Plants. They have a Right, as well as ourselves, to the Verdure of the Earth: They have a certain Title, founded in the Permif

fion God originally gave to every Gen. 1. 29,30. Creature who lives and creeps upon

the Earth, of receiving its Nourishment from the Plants: And their Charter is as authentick as ours, fince it is precifely the very fame.

The Participation of the Herbs and Fruits of the Earth, which Infects are permitted to enjoy in common with Man, is fometimes very prejudicial to him; and, as fuch, was both foreseen and ordained. Man wants to be inftructed, as well as fuftained. His Ingratitude is confounded, when these Infects deprive him of what God had dif play'd to his View with 10 much Liberality? and D 2

his

his Pride is no lefs humbled, when the Lord commands his avenging Armies to march forth, and, inftead of Lions and Tygers, or other formidable Animals, fets Caterpillars, Flies and Locufts, in array against him. Such inconfiderable Inftruments as Worms and Flies, are employed by the Almighty, to humble the Pride of Men, who are too apt to flatter themselves, that they are rich, and great, and independent. You fee my dear Chevalier, that the fame Hand which created the Fly and the Caterpillar, has alfo formed the Lion and the Tyger. He has prepared a convenient Nourishment for them all, because he knows the particular Ufes for which he has referved them. Every thing he has made is good in its

Ecclef. iii. 2.

Seafon; and when our weak Apprehenfions cannot penetrate into the Motives of his Works, fhould we, for that Reason presume to diminish from them, or with any Addition to them? But you will tell me I am preaching, and therefore we will return to our History of Caterpillars, and beg the Favour of the Count to give us a View of these Creatures, as they are employ'd in building their Tombs.

Countess. I find you don't expect much from me, and fo I am not asked any Questions. However, I would willingly be of fome Confequence in my Turn; and defire Leave to fend my Servant up to my Closet for a little Box that will speak for me, as well as a fine Oration. You will find in it what will entertain your Eyes at least. In the mean time let us take a View of the Caterpillars Fu

Their Tombs.

neral.

Count. Towards the End of Summer, and fometimes fooner, these Infects, when they are fatiated with Verdure, and have changed their Skin feveral

times, cease to eat, and employ themselves in building a Retreat, wherein they are to quit the Life and Form of a Caterpillar, to give birth to the Butterfly they contain within them. A few Days are fufficient to conduct fome into a new State of Existence. Others continue whole Months and Years in their Sepulchres. Their are fome Species that plunge themselves to a small Depth in the Earth, after they are fatiated with their Food. In that Situation they begin their Efforts, and rend their Robe, which, with the Head, the Paws, and Entrails, fhrinks back like a Skin of dry Parchment; and there remains a Substance that resembles a small Bean, or a kind of Covering of a Brown Complexion, with an oval Form, the most pointed Part of which terminates in feveral moving Rings whofe dimenfions are gradually diminished. This is the Chryfalis that inclofes the Embrio of the Butterfly, with fuch Fluids as are proper to nourish, and compleat its Growth. When the Creature has acquired its perfect Form, and is invited, by a genial Warmth, to quit the Scene of its Confinement, it bursts the large Extremity of its Inclosure, which always corresponds with its Head, and is weak enough to be opened at the firft Effort.

Some Caterpillars, inftead of finking themselves into the Earth, prepare a Lodgment under the Projections of Roofs; in the Cavities of Walls; under the Bark of Trees, and even in the Heart of the Wood. All of them have fufficient Abilities to fecure themselves a fafe Retreat, for the time they are to continue in the Form of Aurelias.

There are others who fufpend themselves, with great Dexterity, to the Roofs of Houfes, or the firft Stake that occurs in their Way, and they proceed in the following Manner. The Caterpillars extracts, from her own Subftance, a glutinous Fluid,

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Fluid, which lengthens, and acquires a due Confiftency, in proportion as fhe advances her Head from one Place to another: And when she has glewed and interlaced feveral Threads on fome Imooth Place, to which the intends to fix herself, she infinuates her hinder Paws into a Complication of the Tiffue, by means of the minute Claws in which they terminate. In this Manner the accomplishes her first Fastening; after which she rears her Head, and fixes a new Thread on the lateral Wood that correfponds with her fifth Ring, and then with a gentle Deflexion of her Head, she draws this Thread, in the Form of a Bow, around her Back, and then fastens it to the opposite Side. She frequently repeats thefe Motions, in order to conduct the Thread from the Left to the Right, and from the Right to the Left. When this fecond Band, which fuftains the Animal above the Middle of her Body, has been fufficiently doubled and fortified, fhe refts upon it, and then agitates her Body till it is entirely covered with Sweat. She then bursts her Skin, which gradually shrinks to the Side where her Paws are implicated in the Wood. Thofe Paws are likewife diffipated like the rest of her Spoils; but all this is not fufficient to difengage the Chryfalis, because, instead of the Paws, by which it was detained, the Extremity of the Bean has shot out a fet of little Points, whose Heads terminate like that of a Mushroom or Nail; and as they are extended beyond the Threads, they are fufficient, with the Band that traverses the Back, to faften the Bean till the proper Season, when the Papilio is to be discharged from her Confinement.

I have been told that fome Caterpillars involve their Bodies in a Texture of Thread and Glew, and then roll themselves over a Bed of Sand, by which means they collect an Incruftration of fmall Grains,

and

and build themselves in this Manner, a Monument of Stone. I have seen this Operation performed by other Infects.

There are others who build in Wood, and crumble into small Particles the Subftance of a Willow, or fome other Plant to which they have habituated themselves. They afterwards pulverize the whole, and form it, with an intermixture of Glew, into a Pafte, in which they wrap themselves up. This Compofition dries over the Chryfalis it furrounds, and which affumes much the fame Figure; so that it resembles a Mummy, which correfponds with the Form of the Body it inclofes, and to which it ferves as a Defence. I have fome Infects, in this form of the Cryfalis, about me, and fancy the Chevalier will be pleafed with the Sight.

Chev. They are really very entertaining Figures, and one would be apt to take them for Pagodes, or Infants in Swadling Cloaths. Is it poffible there fhould be any Life within; and is a Butterfly to Spring out of the Ruin? The whole Mafs feems to be quite dead.

Count. If you prefs them a little, you will find fome Signs of Life. I could not give you a better Idea of their State of Aurelias or Nymphs, than by letting you see these little Tombs out of which as many Butterflies are to rife. Those who are Females will lay their Eggs, either upon the very Plant that formerly nourished them, or upon one of the fame fort. They range their Eggs fometimes in a strait, or elfe in a circular Situation: Sometimes they Wind them in a spiral Line, round a small Branch, and always faften them with fuch a binding Glew, that the heaviest Rains can't wash them away.

You will find fome Caterpillars who, in their Works, neither imitate the Mafon or Carpenter; but artificially spin themselves a warm Robe to fecure

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