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Handbook of Nature-Study 



alone. There is another butterfly called the viceroy, which has taken 

 advantage of this immunity from bird attack on the part of the monarch 

 and has imitated its colors in a truly remarkable way, differing from 

 it only in being smaller in size and having a black band across the 

 middle of the hind wing. (See The Ways of the Six Footed, "A Sheep 

 in Wolf's Clothing"). 



The milkweed caterpillar, which is the young of the monarch butterfly, 

 is a striking object, and when fully grown is about two inches long. The 

 milkweed is a succulent food and the caterpillar may mature in eleven 

 days; it is a gay creature, with ground 

 color of green and cross stripes of 

 yellow and black. On top of the 

 second segment, back of the head, are 

 two long, slender whiplash-like organs, 

 and on the seventh segment of the 

 abdomen is a similar pair. When 

 the caterpillar is frightened, the whip- 

 lashes at the front of the body twitch 

 excitedly; when it walks, they move 

 back and forth. Those at the rear of 

 the body are more quiet and not so 

 expressive of caterpillar emotions. 

 These filaments are undoubtedly of 

 use in frightening away the little 

 parasitic flies, that lay their eggs upon 

 the backs of caterpillars; these eggs 

 hatch into little grubs that feed upon 

 the internal fatty portions of the 

 caterpillar and bring about its death 

 through weakness. I remember well 

 when I was a child, the creepy feeling 

 with which I beheld these black and 

 yellow-ringed caterpillars waving and 

 lashing their whips back and forth after I had disturbed them; if the 

 ichneumon flies were as frightened as I, the caterpillars were surely safe. 

 The caterpillar will feed upon no plant except milkweed; it feeds both 

 day and night, with intervals of rest, and when resting, hides beneath the 

 leaf. Its striking colors undoubtedly defend it from birds, because it is 



as distasteful to them as is the butterfly. However, 

 when frightened, these caterpillars fall to the ground 

 where their stripes make them very inconspicuous 

 among the grass and thus perhaps save them from 

 the attack of animals less fastidious than birds. 

 These caterpillars, like all others, grow by shedding 

 the skeleton skin as often as it becomes too tight. 



The monarch chrysalis is, I maintain, the most 

 beautiful gem in Nature's jewel casket; it is an oblong 

 jewel of jade, darker at the upper end and shading to 

 the most exquisite whitish green below; outlining this 

 Monarch chrysalis. lower P aler portion are shining flecks of gold. If we 

 A jewel of living jade look at these gold flecks with a lens, we cannot but 

 and gold. believe that they are bits of polished gold-foil. There 



The monarch caterpillar. 

 Photo by M. V. Slingerland. 



