Insect Study 



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The black veins, on the lower surface of the hind wings, are outlined with 

 white, and the white spots are much larger than on the upper surface. 

 The body is black, ornamented with a few pairs of white spots above and 

 with many large white dots below. The chief distinguishing characteris- 

 tic of insects, is the presence of six legs; but in this butterfly, the front 

 legs are so small that they scarcely look like legs. 



It is easy to observe the long, coiled tongue of the butterfly. If the 

 act is done gently, the tongue may be uncoiled by lifting it out with a pin. 



To see a butterfly feeding 

 upon nectar, is a very in- 

 teresting process and ma}- be 

 observed in the garden almost 

 any day. I have also ob- 

 served it indoors, by bringing 

 in petunias and nasturtiums 

 for my imprisoned butterflies, 

 but they are not so likely to 

 eat when in confinement. 

 The antennas are about two- 

 thirds as long as the body and 

 each ends in a long knob ; this 

 knob, in some form, is what 

 distinguishes the antennae of 

 the butterflies from those of 

 moths. The male monarch 

 has a black spot upon one of 

 the veins of the hind wing; 

 this is a perfume pocket and 

 is filled with what are called 

 scent scales; these are scales 

 of peculiar shape which cover 

 the wing at this place and 

 give forth an odor, which we 

 with our coarse sense of smell 

 cannot perceive; but the lady monarch is attracted by this odor. The 

 male monarch may be described to the children, as a dandy carrying a 

 perfume pocket to attract his sweetheart. 

 It is very interesting to the pupils if 

 they are able to see a bit of the butterfly's 

 wing through a three-fourths objective; the 

 covering of scales, arranged in such perfect 

 rows, is very beautiful and also very 

 wonderful. The children know that they 

 get dust upon their fingers from butterflies' 

 wings, and they should know that each 

 grain of this dust is an exquisite scale with 

 notched edges and a ribbed surface. 



The monarch is, for some reason un- 

 known to us, distasteful to birds, and its 

 brilliant colors are an advertisement to all 

 birds of discretion, that here is an insect 



The viceroy butterfly. 



Note the black band on the hind wings which 



distinguishes it from the monarch, which 



it imitates in color and markings. 



The scales on a butterfly's l 

 as seen through a microscope. 



which tastes most disagreeably and that, therefore, should be left severely 



