BRN 9-2 (uncompressed) - Flipbook - Page 56
But that was not obvious to me immediately. In
fact, it did not become clear until I changed my
camera angle to take the image at the bottom of
this page. When I saw the gaping hole where the
body should be I knew immediately what I was
looking at but I was also astonished. Something
about the drama of the event permeated what was
left behind.
Prior to understanding that this was the exuvium of
a hopper of some type I worked out that the
proboscis at the top was not that at all, rather I was
looking at the hind legs of a creature. I was
assuming at that point that the creature was alive,
adding to a bit of photographic tension as I
endeavored not to scare it. Preconceptions and
stereotypes can make you out to be such a fool.
There is a lot to be gained from the study of an
exuvium. When I think of ÒwhatÕs left behindÓ I
tend to think of something in ruin. The detail of this
shell is so delicate, so intricate, a perfect cast. The
images of the head on the next page are
astonishing in this respect. The compound eye is
not simply a Òblob of an eyeÓ, it is a compound eye,
for instance.
But never being entirely satisÞed with such things I
can only reßect on the fact that the process of
ecdysis occurred right in front of me, or at least in
front of where I sometimes sit, and I missed it - that
would have been something to video!!
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