a mare, who was feparated from the reft, making lefs noife than
before, and here it was more fuccefsful; it paffed under the tail,
and by caufing an itching near the anus, forced the mare to pufti
out the edge of the inteftine, to open it, and then to enlarge the
opening^ the fly profited by this opportunity, and depofited it’s
eggs in the fold of the inteftine; in a little time the mare became
almoft furious, and was agitated in the moft violent manner for a
quarter o f an hour, when (he began to grow more eafy.
Nearly allied to the preceding are the following curious obfer-
vations o f an ingenious naturalift on the ichneumon fly. “ As I
was obferving, fays he, one day fome caterpillars which were
feeding voluptuoufly on a cabbage-leaf, my attention was at-
trafted towards a part o f the plant, about which a little' fly was
bpzzing on it’s wing, as i f deliberating where to fettle : I was fur-
prized to fee the herd o f caterpillars, creatures o f twenty times
it’s fize, endeavouring in an uncouth manner, by various contortions
o f the body, to get out o f it’s way, and more foi, whenever
the fly poifed on the wing as if going to drop; at length the
creature made it’s choice, and feated itfelf on the back of one o f
the largeft and faireft o f the clufter; it was in vain the unhappy
reptile endeavoured to diflodge the enemy. I f the caterpillar
had fhewn terror on the approach of the fly, it’s anguilh at intervals
now feemed intolerable, and I foon found that it was in con-
fequence o f the ftrokes, or wounds, given by the fly. A t every
wound the poor caterpillar wreathed and twilled it’s whole frame,
endeavouring to difengage itfelf, by lhaking off the enemy,
fometimes aiming it’s mouth towards the place; but it was all in
vain, it’s little but cruel tormentor kept it’s place. When it had
inflicted thirty or forty of thefe wounds, it took it’s flight with a
4 vifible
vifible triumph; in each of thefe .wounds the little fly had
depofited an egg. I took die caterpillar home with me, to ob-
ferve the progrefs of the eggs which were thus placed in it’s body,
taking care to give it a frefli fupply of leaves from time to time;
it recovered to all appearance in a few hours from the w’ounds it
had received, and from that time, for the lpace of four or five
days, feemed to live .„comfortably,, feeding voracioufly. The
eggs were all hatched into fmall oblong voracious worms, which
fed from the moment o f it’s appearance on the flefti of the caterpillar,
in whofe body they were inclofed,. and feemingly without
wounding the organs of refpiration or digeftion; and when they
had arrived at their full growth, they eat their way out o f the
fides o f the animal, at the fame time deftroying it. The caterpillar
thus attacked by the larva o f the ichneumon never efcapes,
it’s deftruftion is infallible; but then it’s life is not taken away at
once; the larva, while it is feeding thereon, knows how to fpare
the parts which are effential to it’s life, becaufe it’s own is at that
time tied up in that o f the caterpillar. No butterfly is produced
from i t ; the worms that feed on the wretched creature are no
fooner out o f it’s body, than every one fpins it’s own web, and
under this they pafs the ftate o f reft neceffary to introduce them
to their winged form.” *
O f this ft range feene it is difficult for us to form a proper
judgment; we are unacquainted with the organs of the caterpillar,
ignorant of the nature of it’s fenfations, and therefore we cannot
be affured what may be the effefts of that which we fee it fuffer.
“ It is wifdom to fuppofe we-are ignorant, while we know the
Creator cannot be cruel.” From revelation we learn, that man
is
Infpe£tor, No. 64.