41 



tree from which these twigs were taken. If we could have been 

 there and caught her we would have found her a pretty little 

 creature with four wings covered with down and a soft fuzzy 

 body. In color she was a pale rosy-brown, and had two bands 

 of pale yellow across each front wing." (Call attention to the 

 picture of the moth, Fig. 31.*) 



" This is the little mother which laid her eggs in a ring around 

 the twig and covered them with a water-proof coat to keep them 

 safe and sound until this spring, when they will hatch." 



What will come out of these eggs when they hatch ? The 

 teacher should not answer this question but let the pupils watch 

 the eggs and discover the answer for themselves. 



Place the twig with the egg mass upon it in the bottle of water 

 (Fig. 24). It will be best if this twig is a part of a forked 

 branch, so that the caterpillars may make their web upon it 

 As soon as the eggs hatch, ask the following questions : 



What sort of young ones hatch out of the eggs ? 



Are they like their mother ? 



What color are they ? 



Why are their heads so large ? 



Ans. So that they can gnaw the lid off the egg and thus 

 get out. 



Why should the young ones of a pretty moth be little black 

 caterpillars ? 



(Leave this answer for future investigation.) 



After the caterpillars hatch, it will be necessary to bring in 

 fresh apple twigs with buds and leaves upon them each day so 

 as to feed the little prisoners. It is very desirable that they be 

 kept alive until they have begun their web and have molted at 

 least twice. If they show a disposition to wander off put the 

 breeding cage. Fig. 25, over the bottle and branch and so keep 

 them confined with their food. 



To supplement the study of the imprisoned caterpillars, study 

 should be made at the same time of the insects out of doors and 



* If a specimen of the moth could be obtained it would t)e much more interesting 

 to the children than the picture. The teacher can collect or breed the moths in 

 July to use the next spring to illustrate the lesson. 



