THE INTEREST IN INSECTS. 



305 



FIG 4. 



FIG. 5. 



FIG. 6. 



in figure 2. Such a leaf never falls like 

 the others, but is so well fastened to 

 the tree that it is difficult to pull it off 

 without actually cutting the threads. 

 The edges of the dry leaf usually 

 break away, leaving the cocoon bare. 



Each year the writer receives from 

 correspondents, who wonder what 

 they are, a number of these cocoons, 

 which are usually placed in the breed- 

 ing cages and forgotten. Perhaps sev- 

 eral weeks or months afterwards a 

 fluttering in one of the cages will re- 

 mind us that the moths are emerging. 



One year in June, while working in 

 the laboratory, I noticed that a Pro- 

 methea moth had just emerged from 

 one of the cocoons. The camera was 

 hurriedly set up, and at the earliest 

 possible moment (11 :28 A. M.) a pho- 

 tograph was taken of this soft brown 

 crumple-winged object that hardly re- 

 sembled a moth. (See figure 3.) At 

 11:33, J us t fi ye minutes later, a second 

 exposure was made, with the result 

 shown in figure 4. Notice how the 

 wings had elongated and straightened 

 out. They had taken on form and 

 color patterns ; and all the while they 

 kept moving slightly. At 11:50 a 

 third picture was taken (figure 5), and 

 by this time the wings were much 

 broader and had assumed the usual 

 form and color found in the species. 

 Twenty-five minutes later (12:15) tne 

 wings were about full size and were 

 quite hard and firm (figure 6). It 

 proved to be a male. All the afternoon 



he remained hanging downward from 

 the twig, but after a time spread his 

 wings. Not until after dark would he 

 test them in flight. The last photo- 

 graph (figure 7) was taken at 3:10 P. 

 M., and shows the upper surface of the 

 wings. All photographs were taken with- 

 out moving the camera from the posi- 

 tion where first set. They illustrate 



FIG. 7. 



the rapid wing development which 

 takes place in nearly every moth and 

 butterfly on emerging from the chrys- 

 alis to assume the adult state. No 

 one can adequately describe it, but it 

 is easy for every one to observe. Moth 

 cocoons can be gathered in late winter 

 or early spring, and butterfly cocoons 

 at almost any time during the sum- 

 mer. Place them in a ventilated glass 

 or wire cage, with a twig inside for 

 them to climb upon, and watch them 

 from day to day. Finally you will be 



