ance of being' braided. Tbe young hatch ahnost simultaneously 

 from the egg-mass, and crawl away, leaving behind their cast-off 

 nymphal skins. 



Other insects render service to man by destroying weeds and 

 other noxious plants, the milkweed caterpillar being one of this 

 sort. The adult is a brown butterfly common in many meadow- 

 lands. The caterpillar is distinguished by its bold black, white 

 and yellow bands. When full grown the caterpillar suspends it- 

 self by means of a button of silk and transforms to the chrysalis 

 from which in due season the adult butterfly emerges. It is in- 

 teresting to note that the milkweed butterfly has a flavor noxious 

 to birds, and is therefore not devoured by them. Another butter- 

 fly of an entirely dififerent family, and lacking any noxious pro- 

 tective flavor, has assumed the protective coloration of the milk- 

 weed butterfly. It is a neat instance of mimicry. 



A fourth group of insects are those whose larvae feed upon 

 plants that are not of economic importance. The Cecropia moth, 

 found throughout the United States mainland, is of this class. 

 The esrgs are deposited upon the leaves of various forest trees. 

 The caterpillars are rarelv injuriously abundant. They are re- 

 markable for their defensive armor of bristle-covered tubercles, 

 which persist in all the varied molts through which thev pass. 

 Before the final molt a cocoon is spun, and within the finished 

 coe«on t^ie pupal stage is assumed. The Cecropia pupa is so large 

 that the various parts of the adult which is to come from it can 

 be readilv distinguished. 



This silk-producing habit of caterpillars is commerciallv utilized, 

 as is well known, in the case of the silk-worm. The moths of this 

 species are reared in captivity, and the eggs are given great care 

 and are artificially incubated. The vounsf silk-worms are fed and 

 tended by experts. When thev attain full size they spin the fami- 

 liar cocoon of commerce. The cocoon contains, of course, the 

 pupa, which is killed by immersion in hot water. This process 

 also loosens the thread, which is then reeled. The adults are per- 

 mitted to emerge from certain cocoons and are kept for egg- 

 laying. 



The Caveman freed himself from vermin with greater ease 

 than he did his lair. The lair problem is one that exists into this 

 day. The festive roach is a question that we would not make 

 public. There are a large number of species of roaches, varving 

 greatly in appearance, but if you hit any one of them too hard 

 with a newspaper it will leave a spot on the wall-paper ! 



A still more delicate problem is that of the ancient disturber of 

 Morpheus, the bed-bug. When magnification reveals his corpul- 

 ence and armor, our animosity suffers no decrease, but rather in- 

 creases proportionally. The various pests that attack foodstuffs 

 gain nothing in attractiveness by magnification, although this 

 process reveals how admirably they are fitted to carry on their 

 destructive work. The termites or "borers" that riddle our wood- 



