Teacher's Comer 



The study of the butterfly should, to be ideal, begin with the egg. These 

 eggs are often exquisite in color and markings, and are always laid upon the 

 chosen food plant of her species. From this egg hatches a little caterpillar 

 that should be studied and fed and cared for until it changes to a chrysalis, and 

 the chrysalis to a butterfly. A breeding cage may be made by placing a bottle 

 of water in which the stems of the food plant may be placed in a cardboard box, 

 one side of which is covered with mosquito netting, or in a terrarium, or the 

 bottle may be placed in a flower pot of earth and over it may be put a lamp or 

 lantern chimney with a bit of mosquito netting over the top. Fresh food must 

 be supplied as often as needed. No story of Cinderella with her magical 

 change of costume is more interesting or wonderful than the changes of dress the 

 insect takes on from egg to winged state. Caterpillars have a most engaging 

 way of growing by shedding their skins every time they become too small, and 

 each change of skin is likely to make a change in the color. The diar\- of the 

 caterpillar should be written by the pupils. It may be written in the first 

 person to make it seem more like a story. 



'Thora.x 



Ah^onij^ji^ 



5- -Prop leg 



TrueUjr* 



Breathing- poree 



The Make- up of a Caterpillar 



Outline for Studying the Life Story of a Butterfly 



Describe the caterpillar as follows: What is its shape? What is its ground 

 color? Is it striped? Crosswise or lengthwise? Colors of stripes? Is it 

 spotted? Has it spines or tubercles? If so, on what segments? 



How do the front three pairs of legs look? How do they compare with the 

 prolegs? How many prop-legs are there? \^Tiat is the color of the prolegs? 

 How are they marked? Describe the prop-leg. What is its use? 



Observe the caterpillar eating a leaf. How does it manage so as not to waste 

 any? 



Have you found the egg from which the caterpillar came? What color was 

 it? Where was it laid? 



How does the 3^oung caterpillar look? What are its colors? Has it spines? 



Watch one of these caterpillars shed its skin. How does it prepare for this? 

 Does it spin its carpet ? Where does the silk come from ? Describe how it acts 

 when shedding its skin? 



When the caterpillar is full grown how does it hang itself up to change to a 

 chrysalis? How does it make the silk button? Does it weave a loop or halter? 

 If the halter is woven what does the caterpillar do with it? Describe how the 



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