Insfxt Study. 79 ^ 



with us as we cross their path. The caterpiUar is slug-shaped, a half an 

 inch long, dull rosy-red in color ; it feeds on sorrel. 



THE BLUES 



The Spring Azure. — This bit of a blue butterfly comes to us early in 

 the spring and seems like a promise of blue skies 

 and sunshine. Its caterpillar is two-fifths of an 

 inch in length, slug-shaped, whitish with dark 

 brown head. It lives on the flowers of dogwood, ( 1i- 



sumac, spirjea and others. A remarkable thing ^'**»^ 



, . .,,.,., ,, THE SPRING AZURE 



about Its caterpular is that it bears an organ on the „ , . • 7 



Kxpanse, about amncn. 



back which exudes honeydew ; ants feed upon this Color, blue with pur- 



and protect the caterpillar. f'"j* ^j"^^-" «'^>^-' 



^ '■ ■ bordered more or less 



with black. 

 THE SKIPPERS 



There is a family of insects usually included with the butterflies 

 called skippers. These are usually small dark brown or dull yellow, and 

 may be distinguished from the butterflies by the fact that the antennse 

 are either hooked at the tips or bent at an angle. The character which 

 distinguishes butterflies from moths most readily is that the butterflies 

 always have antennae which are enlarged at or toward the tips. Knobbed 

 antennae they are called ; while the antennae of moths may be straight and 

 simple or feather-like. The antennae of the skippers are enlarged like 

 those of the butterflies toward tlie tip, but the knob is very bent or 

 hooked. The skippers have heavy bodies and are very agile in flight. The 

 caterpillars of the skippers are absurd looking creatures, the neck being 

 very small and the head very large. They usually live concealed in a 

 folded leaf or in a nest made of a few leaves fastened together. 



TJic pupils in tlic Home A^atiire-Stiidy class 7vill please make full 

 notes on any butterflies x^'hich they have studied and send the same to 

 the editor. 



BOOKS FOR THE STUDY OF BUTTERFLIES 



Ei'eryday Butterflies, Scudder, Houghton, Mifflin Co., $2.00. 

 The Butterfly Book, Holland, Doubleday, Page & Co., $4.00. 

 How to Know the Butterflies, Comstock, Appleton, $2.25. 

 Moths and Butterflies, Mary Dickerson, Ginn Co., $2.50. 



