ORDER LEPIDOPTBRA. 1 15 



the body. The third is drawn out by th< two fore I 

 which are three-jointed and end in . The 



on the hind b imetimea called pro] 



jointed, and end in a crown of li<>< .k> which cui 

 ward, enabling the caterpillar to firmly grasp the • 

 the leaf or twig of its food-plant. 



M -• caterpillars are more or less hairy or .-piny, ren- 

 dering them, wlirii especially so, disagreeable to birds; be- 

 sides this, they are bright-colored, so thai birds readily 

 ognize them and waste no time over them, bul search for 

 the common green smooth-bodied ones, w hich are, however, 

 so difficull of detection by the birds that pk-nty are left to 



in- moths or butterflies. Certain caterpillars, as the 

 currant-worm, though smooth-bodied, arc brightly spotted; 

 these, however, the birds find, have a disagreeable taste. 

 The brighl colors are thus danger-signals, hung out to warn 

 the birds. 



We will n<«\v suppose that the caterpillar h 

 growth, and is aboul to change to a chrysalis. When fully 

 fed the caterpillar Btops eating, and in a day or two throws 

 oit the caterpillar's skin and becomes a pupa or chrysalis. 

 The latter word is derived from the Greek, meaning golden, 

 in allusion to the golden spots which adorn the chrysal ■ 

 some butterflies. ( mr Turnus caterpillar, before pupation, 



as the acl of bet ling a pupa may be called, becomes short 



and thick, with the head drawn in. It Bpins an open- work 

 platform of .-ilk on the under side of a leaf ; its tail is firmly 

 anchored in the mass of silk by certain honks at the end. 

 and meanwhile it throws around its body near the head a 



tig silken cord as a support. Our Turnus chrysalis is 

 not bright-colored, hut allied in color to a dry leaf > 

 of woo, |. go as to be easily overlooked by birds. Here it 

 remains through the winter until the end of thi ling 



May or firsl of June, when the butterfly within, which has 

 been growing rapidly during the preceding warm days, by 

 its convulsive struggles bursts the pupal skin i ' the back, 

 forcing the covering of the head and mouth-parts aside, and 

 10 



