Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/228

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&iaf origin to their extremity, and terminate in a very fine point. Thefe phalente alfo have trunks, as well as thofe of the former clafs; and their antennx are ufu.lly very flender.

C/a/f j. This comprehends the phalente which have antennae of the fame' form with thofc of the former clafs, but have no trunk.

Clafs 4. This comprehends the phalente which have bearded an- tenna: and a trunk,

Clafs ?,. This comprehends thole which have bearded antenna? and have no trunk.

1 here are feveral genera of each of thefe clafles, diftinguifhed by the particular ftruclure of their -antennae, tho' of the ge- neral form defcribed in the character of the clafs. Thofe which are compofed of feveral vertebra; joined end to end, which make the length, have great differences in the fize and proportion of thefe joints, and fome of them are hairy, others fmooth. Thefe, however, tho' very certain and unerring diftindfions, are not to be perceived without the afliftance of the microfcopc ; whereas the fame animals offer us much more plain and obvious distinctions, and thofe equally certain^ in the different manners in which they fly, and carry their wings when at reft. The butterflies have different manners of carry- ing their wings, but thefe are but few in comparifon of the moths ; fo that if the clafles in thefe laft were to be efhblifhed according to this character, they would be greatly too nu- merous ; tho' this gives'very happy fubdiftindtions of the pe- culiar genera of each clafs, of which we fliall give fome in- ftanccs hereafter, in regard to this clafs.

Clafs 6. This comprehends a very peculiar fort of phalente > the females of which have no fenfible wings. Several of thofe caterpillars which have long parcels of hairs at their heads re- fembling horns, give phalena-, the females of which have no wings ; and the creeping ones, with ten legs, alfo give fome. Reaumur sHltt. Inf. V. i. P. r. p. 408.

Clafs 7. This comprehends a fet of phalente which are much morediftinctly charactered by nature than any of the former : they have wings fhaped like thofe of birds, and compofed of true and proper feathers. All the phalente of this clafs are fin all, but their lingular ftrudture makes them worthy a pecu- liar attention.

It is fcarce poflible to determine exactly, whether they belong to the phalente or butterfly clafs moft properly; they have the conic antennae, which character a former clafs of the phalente ; but they are often found flying about in the day time, in the manner of the day-flies : their changes alfo are made in the fame manner with thofe of the day-flies ; fo that upon the whole, it is, perhaps, moft proper to account them a peculiar ■clafs of the papi/io, confidered as a general term, but without regard to the firft diftinction of day and night kinds, or of moths and butterflies,

There are three genera of this clafs, each of which carries its -diftinctions from the others very obvious and diftinct, fo as ■not to be in any danger of being miftaken. Thofe of the firft genus are all of a remarkable whitenefs ; they always Hand upon all their fix legs, and the two hinder ones are much longer than the others. This creature never carries its wings lying on its body, as the generality cSfapilios do ; but they are placed in a direction perpendicular to the length of its body, or nearly fo. When it is at reft, th

■ -wings are clofed fomewhat in the manner of thofe of birds ; yet in this ftate we may fee that they are made of feathers, which, when we view them with the microfcope, appear to be fo many fegments into which the wings are divided ; the upper being divided into two, and the lower into three, each of which is edged on b&th fides with real feathers. Mr. Hook has figured this creature in his micrographia, and has given but two diviffons to the under wing ; but that was probably an cverfight, the middle one being eafdy overlooked. When this little creature flies, it feparates the fegments of its wings farther off, and expands its feathers fo, that they perfectly re- femble thofe of a bird ; and the two wings are in this ftate fo placed together as to refemble only one. As beautiful, how- ever, as thefe wings are to look at, they are but of very little ufe to the creature in flying. It is not. known to fly at all by night, and in the day it takes only very fmall and fhort flights.

The creature given by Reaumur as an inftance of the fecond genus of this clafs, is of a fine bright brown colour, as are all of the genus. VV hen this creature is in a ftate of reft, its wings are not feen to be feathery, nor even to be wings at all ; but are fo folded up, as to refemble arms ftretched out at length: and the creature in this poflure looks like the minia- ture figure of a man upon a crofs, the two wings of each fide being folded into a fort of cord, and turning hooked at the ends. The inferior wings are compofed each of three plumes, and are lodged in a furrow made by the upper ones, which art convex externally, and concave within, and are divided only about a fixth part of their length, but their fegments are well leathered at the edges for half their length. This fpecjes alfo differs from the former, in that it ftands only on its four anterior legs, the two hinder ones being ufually ex- tended along the fides, and forming a fort of tail after they have crofted one another behind. The creatures of the third genus of this clafs are fmall, and

are frequently feen on the glafs of our windows ; and their wings are the moft truly pi li mole of thofe of any fpecies. They are of a brown colour, with fomewhat of a gilded look when clofely viewed, and have a few black fpots in different parts. They carry their wings flat, or horizontally, when at reft ; and thefe appear like the wings of the common butterfly, but when nearly examined, they are found to be compofed of real; feathers.; and their feeming continuity is only owing to the clofe arrangement of thefe feathers. This is a very tender creature, and eafdy crufhed to pieces ; but when caught care- fully, and examined by the glafs, each upper wing is found to be compofed of eight feathers, and each under one, of four; and the quill part of the pedicle of thefe feathers, is in all the wings feparate to the very point at the top, which is very different from the others, where the wing is only divided a little way into fegments; and the upper and under wing of each fide are fo nicely fitted together when the creature flies, that they only refemble one very large wing. Yet even thefe feathered wings, when viewed by powerful microfcopes, are found not to be truly feathered ; but what we term plumes are in reality only a nice arrangement of fcales, like thofe of other butterflies upon the deep fegments of the wing. This fpecies has conic antennas and a trunk. Its origin is un- known, but it feems to be produced of fome of ''the teniae which live in our houfes, fince it is always found within doors, never in the fields ; and is t'een in the month of March, which is earlier than the field butterflies are feen : they are alfo found in Auguft, September, and October, and fometimes later than that month. . Reaumur's Hift.Inf. V. 1. P. 1. p. 419. Mr. Reaumur has given an example of the manner of diftin- guifhing the fubordinate genera of the other clafles, in thofe of the fecond, fifth, &c. before mentioned. In this he has regard to the pofition and direction of the wings, which is fufficiently certain and determinate, and is the moft obvious of all cha- racters ; according to this he has eftablimed the following ge- nera of this extenfive clafs : Genus j. The phalente of this genus carry their wings parallel, , and in an horizontal direction ; but they crofs one another, one of the upper wings lying in great part over the other. Sometimes it is the right that crofles over the left, and fome- times the left that croifes over that; but however this be, the under wings always lie folded underneath them. Many of the caterpillars which feed on our garden herbs, afford phalente of this genus, of which there are feveral of the fecond clafs. Genus 2. This comprehends thofe phalente whofe wings lie parallel, as in the former genus I they alfo cover in the fame manner the under wing, but thefe never crofs one another. Of this genus there are feveral fubdivifions. Genus 3. This comprehends ihofe phalena t the upper win 05 of which have their interior edges applied one againft the other: and tho' they are in general held parallel to the horizon, yet that part of them which covers the body has not the fame pa- rallelifm with the reft ; but are bent round about the body, and fo moulded, as it were, upon it, that they fhew the fhape of that part of it which they cover. We have an inftance of this genus in that phalcna which is produced of the caterpillar which feeds upon the young and green feeds of the nettle. Its wings arc variegated with white, and with a deep brownifli black, in an elegant manner. Genus 4. This genus comprehends thofe phalente which carry their upper wings in an horizontal direction, but wh'ch, in- ftead of crofting, or even touching one another, are fo wide afunder, that they do not cover any part of the body, but leave both that and the under wings naked. This genus com- prehends a great number of fpecies, which are diftinguifhed according to the different diftances to which they expand the wings in fitting ; fome having them little lefs fo at reft than when flying. Genus 5. This comprehends thofe which have the interior edo-es of the upper wings joined one to the other, and raifed above the furface of the body, fo that they form a fort of canopy over the creature. In this cafe, the under wings are always neceffarily hid. We have an inftance of this genus in the fecond clafs, one of the phalente of that being a very beautiful one, variegated with red and black, always carrying its wino-s in this manner very remaikably. Genus 6. This comprehends a fet of phalente which fomewhat refemble the former in the placing of their wings, infomuch, that they meet at the interior edges, and form a canopy over the body; but as this is ftrait and angular in the former genus, it is rounded or arched in this : the inner part of each outer wing being bent, as it were, into the fhape of the body. We have a very frequent inftance of this genus in one of the phalente of the third clafs, which has conic antennae and no trunk: the caterpillar of this fpecies feeds on the rotten trunks of trees. Genus 7. This comprehends a great number of pba?en# 3 the greater part of which are very fmall in fize, and carry their wings almoft horizontally, forming a very depreiled canopy over their bodies. Thefe are remarkably thick about the fhoulders, or origin of the wings, and are known by many by the name of the large-$euldered. When thefe are in a ftate of reft, their largeft diameter is either at the origin or at the middle of the breaft, at or near the infertipn of the wings. 3 ■ V*e