COMMON B OTTERFLIES OF THE PL. 1 INS OF INDIA . 25 



l)efore depositing' its treasure which is then, however, left to look 

 ut'ter itself. It is a common thino' to see a nymphalid butterfly 

 hanimerino; a leaf with its semi-aborted forelegs before laying, pre- 

 sumably to frighten inimical spiders or other foes away. In some 

 cases, probably for greater safety, the eggs are laid on a tendril, dead 

 bit of grass, twig or wood in the neighbourhood of the food, but not 

 on it. In due time, generally in a sub-multiple of seven days under 

 normal conditions, the young larva eats its way out through, and 

 makes the first meal of, the shell, before taking its subsequent food. 

 In the course of its life it grows and casts its skin five times (this is 

 called moulting), becoming (Quiescent for a short period previous to 

 each change on a bed of silk woven expressly for the purpose on the 

 surface of a leaf or other such place. In moulting, the head is cast 

 entire (except in the last change to pupa or chrysalis when it splits 

 down the middle): the skin bursts down the middle line of the back 

 or dorsum in segments 2, o, 4, and the new caterpillar walks out 

 gently and very gradually as a soft, delicate reproduction of the 

 original grub, somewhat larger in size each time. It is often provided 

 with a new pattern of coat, sometimes it is even without the spines it 

 may have possessed in the preceding stage, though this last only 

 applies to the earlier changes for the last two are strictly limited to 

 an increase in size. The cast skin is generally eaten while still soft 

 though some species seem to omit this. 



When a larva is full fed, that is, when it is full grown, it 

 becomes very active for a time and may wander for a long distance 

 before reaching the place where it chooses to turn into the pupa. It 

 generally changes colour somewhat during this time, the pattern of 

 the skin, if present, fades and the bright colours become dull. The 

 final resting place choosen, it settles down, spins a small pad of 

 silk (effected by means of the " spinneret," a small protruberance at 

 the base of the mouth communicating inside the body with a pair of 

 tubes or glands containing the viscous fluid silk) by moving the 

 head backwards and forwards and from side to side, turns round, 

 grasps the pad with the anal claspers, fixing their booklets well in 

 and remains quiescent for a period varying from some hours to a full 

 day or more according to circumstances. The skin becomes more 

 and more transparent, the larva makes wave-like, swelling motions 

 from the tail end forwards, then jerks itself from side to side at 



