43 



At what time of day do they feed ? 



When on a tree, how far from their tent do they go for their 

 food? 



Are the paths over which the caterpillars travel when search- 

 ing for food marked in any way ? 



A /IS. This caterpillar spins a silken thread wherever it goes 

 and therefore leaves a trail of silk behind it. 



Of what is the tent made ? 



Compare the tent with a spider's web and note the differences. 



Where does the silk come from, of which the tent is made ? 



A/is. The silk glands of the caterpillar are situated near the 

 mouth, while those of the spider are on the rear end of the body. 



Lesson III. How the Insects Grow. 



The caterpillars shed their skins about five times. The first 

 molt occurs about three days after they hatch. The second 

 molt about four days later; and the third molt about six days 

 after the second. After each molt, the color and markings of 

 the caterpillars are somewhat changed. During some of the 

 molts the pupils should watch a caterpillar change his skin. 

 After the class has seen this operation the teacher may give 

 the following lesson : 



Where is your skeleton ? 



What is it made of ? 



What is it for ? Bring out the fact that the skeleton is a 

 support for the muscles and organs of the body. 



Where is an insect skeleton ? Get as many answers to this 

 question as possible, then say : 



The insect's skeleton is on the outside of its body instead of 

 a skin, and the flesh and muscles are supported by it on the 

 inside instead of on the outside like our own. As this skeleton 

 is hard, it cannot stretch ; as the insect grows and gets too 

 large it bursts open and the insect walks out of it. Now, 

 underneath this old, hard skeleton a new one is formed which 

 is soft and flexible at first and so stretches to accommodate the 

 growing insect. After a little time this new skeleton also 



