3 6o 



The Moths and Butterflies 



and the extreme specialization of the butterfly's mouth an interesting and 

 illuminating gradatory series is dis- 

 coverable by examining moths of suc- 

 cessively more specialized character. 

 The development of moths and 

 butterflies shows the usual character- 

 istics of devel- 

 opment with 

 complete meta- 

 morphosis, the 

 larval or cater- 

 pillar stage be- 

 ing quite dis- 

 similar from 

 the pupal or 

 chrysalid stage, 

 and that in 



FIG. 508. Bit of wing of monarch but- 

 terfly, Anosia plexippus, showing scales; 

 some scales removed to show the inser- 

 tion-pits and their regular arrangement. 

 (Greatly magnified.) 



turn from the 



adult or imaginal stage. The immature stages of 

 Lepidoptera are more familiar than those of any other 

 order; we have all seen, and recognized for what they 

 are, the caterpillars and chrysalids of various moths 

 and butterflies. The great silken cocoons found on 

 orchard-trees in winter-time are known to contain 

 the pupae of giant moths, as the 

 Cecropia, the Polyphemus, and others, 

 while the soft-bodied green tomato- 

 worms are as well known to be the 

 young (larvae) of the hawk-moths. 

 As a matter of fact the young stages 

 of no other of the insects with com- 

 plete metamorphosis are so nearly 

 unmistakably characterized by their 

 common possession of certain well- 

 defined features. The larvae or cater- 

 pillars, for example, with very few 

 exceptions, possess, in addition to 

 FIG. 509. Sucking-proboscis of a sphinx- three pairs of jointed legs on the first 

 moth; at left the proboscis is shown tnree segments behind the head, 

 coiled up on the under side of the head, . .. r , 



the normal position when not in use. from three to five pairs of short 

 (Small ^figure, natural^ size; large figure, fleshy un jointed legs or feet called 



prop-legs, on certain abdominal seg- 



one-half natural size.) 



