the fright,
I never before passed so trying a night;
I would not again undergo the vexation
Of such a soiree, for the wealth of a nation."
"With you I agree," the sage Emperor replied,
Who deemed it a lesson to cure them of pride;
"And I trust that the thread of our lives will spin out,
Ere we ever again attempt such a rout.
Alas! we must own we were never designed
To flit in the sunshine, or soar on the wind;
Nature's changeless decree has allotted its share
To each beast of the field, to each bird of the air,
To each reptile that creeps, to each insect that flies;
And who dares to rebel against nature but dies?"

[1] _Saturnia pavonia minor._ The caterpillars of these moths are
of a beautiful green, with blue spots, and after living
together for three weeks, they separate, and disperse
themselves in all directions. The Chrysalis is covered with a
strongly glutinous matter, which resists not only weather, but
the perforation of other insects. The Pavonia Major is the
largest of European moths, and, according to Latreille, a
manufactory of silk from the cocoons has been established in
Germany.

[2] _Pterophorus pentadactylus._ Large White Plume. By some called
Ragged Robin. The moths of this genus have their wings divided,
or formed of feathers united at the base. The chrysalis is
black.

[3] Female of the _Saturnia pavonia minor_.

[4] _Pygaera bucephala._

[5] _Endromis versicolor._

[6] _Noctua catana._

[7] _Noctua aprilina._

[8] _Noctua batis._

[9] The attitude of the caterpillars, resembling that of the
Sphinx, has given this name to the tribe. The moths of the
Sphinx have the peculiar power of erecting their wings, but
even these cannot make them meet over the back as butterflies
do. Their chief food is the potatoe plant.

[10] _Liparis dispar._--The caterpillars of the Gipsey are very
destructive to fruit trees, over which they wander during the
day, but at night retire into a web like that of a spider. In
1731, they attacked and destroyed most of the oaks in France.

[11] _Noctua mi._--Called Shipton, from the profile of an old woman
which is marked on its upper wings.

[12] _Noctua I niger._--The Roman character, I, is marked on the
wings of this moth.