. Insect transformations . cceed in preventing the escape of theanimal, which raised the glass, though loaded with thebook, nearly a hundred times its own weight, and madegood its Ulie multiplicity of its muscles aboveenumerated, two hundred and thirty-six of which aresituated in the legs alone, will enable us to understandhow this extraordinary fete was performed. Even thispower of muscle, however, would doubtless have been * Lyonnet, Traile .af. cle la Chenille, pp. 188, Intr. iv. 186. t J. K, 184 tXSECT TRANSFORMATIONS. unavailing in raising the loaded glass, except in con-nexi
. Insect transformations . cceed in preventing the escape of theanimal, which raised the glass, though loaded with thebook, nearly a hundred times its own weight, and madegood its Ulie multiplicity of its muscles aboveenumerated, two hundred and thirty-six of which aresituated in the legs alone, will enable us to understandhow this extraordinary fete was performed. Even thispower of muscle, however, would doubtless have been * Lyonnet, Traile .af. cle la Chenille, pp. 188, Intr. iv. 186. t J. K, 184 tXSECT TRANSFORMATIONS. unavailing in raising the loaded glass, except in con-nexion with two favourable circumstances under whichthe experiment was performed, and which are neces-sary to be borne in mind to render the operation per-fectly credible : — 1 st, that the wedge-like form of thecaterpillars head, in connexion w ith the peculiar shapeof the glass, enable it to lift it ; — and !2d, that, oneside of the glass resting on the table, the insect onlybore half the of the glass and Caterpillar of Coss-js escaiiing from under a loaded glass. A peculiar toughness of external covering some-times supplies the place of this muscular power incaterpillars. A singular instance occurs in thehistory of a common two-winged fly, withgray shoulders and a. brown abdomen, {Eristalistenax, FAUii.). The grub, which is rat-tailed, livesin muddy pools, with the water of which it has some-times been taken up by paper-makers, and, thoughsubjected to the immense pressure of their ma- MUSCULAR STRENGTH OF INSECTS. 185 chinery, it has survived in a miraculous is the account originally given by Linnaius.*A recent compiler, mistaking Kirby and Spencesvery apt comparison of this grub to a London porternicknamed l^eather-coat-Jack, from his being able tosufier carriages to drive over him without receivingany injury, lorthwith fancies tlic porter to be anotherinsect, called leather-coat-jack, which will bearheavy carriage wheels to pass over it w
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