318 Handbook of Nature-Study 



black stripe? Are the yellow spots in the middle, or at each edge of the 

 stripe ? 



3. How do the front three pairs of legs look? How do they compare 

 with the prolegs? How many prop-legs are there? What is the color of 

 the prolegs? How are they marked? Describe the prop-leg. What is 

 its use? 



4. Observe the caterpillar eating a leaf. How does it manage so as 

 not to waste any ? 



5. Have you found the egg from which the caterpillar came? What 

 color is it? Where is it laid? 



6. How does the young caterpillar look? What are its colors? 

 How many fleshy spines has it on each segment? Are these white on the 

 white segments and black on the black segments? What is the color of 

 the spines at their base ? 



Black swallow-tail butterfly. 



Photo by M. V. Slingerland. 



7. Watch one of these caterpillars shed its skin. How does it pre- 

 pare for this? How does it spin its carpet? Where does the silk come 

 from? Describe how it acts when shedding its skin? 



8. When a caterpillar is full grown, how does it hang itself up to 

 change to a chrysalis ? How does it make the silk button ? How does it 

 weave the loop or halter? How does it fasten it? When the halter is 

 woven what does the caterpillar do with it? Describe how the last 

 caterpillar skin is shed. How does the insect use its loop or halter while 

 getting free from the molted skin? 



9. Describe the chrysalis. What is its general shape? What is its 

 color? Is it easily seen? Can you see where the wings are, within the 

 chrysalis? How is the chrysalis supported? 



10. How does the chrysalis look w r hen the butterfly is about to 

 emerge? Where does it break open? How does the butterfly look at 

 first? 



