METAMORPHOSES OF BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 21 



Moth (Arctia caja). The parent moth deposits her 

 eggs at the end of July or in August; the eggs are 

 hatched in a short time, and the small hairy caterpillars 

 crawl out and commence feeding on chickweed, dock, 

 nettle, or other low plants. They grow very slowly, 

 and before they are half an inch long they cease feeding 

 for the winter. In the month of April they commence 

 feeding again, and now make up for their long fast by 

 eating voraciously. They soon require to cast their 

 winter skin, and each time they moult they appear with 

 longer hairs, so that by the time they cast their skin 

 for the last time they are really very handsome. The 

 full-fed larva is about two inches long, black, with 

 reddish-brown hairs along the sides and on the anterior 

 segments, and with long white hairs on the back. 

 When disturbed, the larva rolls itself up in a ball like 

 a hedgehog, and protected by its long hairs it can then 

 fall without injury. The full-fed larvae may often be 

 seen wandering about (they can crawl very fast) in 

 search of a convenient nook in which to spin their 

 cocoon. The larva commences by spinning a few outer 

 threads for the support of the cocoon, and then com- 

 mences the cocoon itself, into which it spins the greater 

 part of its own hairs, so that by the time the cocoon is 

 nearly completed, if we were to examine the larva it 

 would look very much as if it had been shaved. The 

 larva then undergoes its change to the pupa state, and 

 in four or five weeks the pupa skin cracks and the moth 

 creeps out, and proceeds to expand and dry its wings. 

 The rich colouring of the moth must always strongly 

 impress any one seeing it for the first time. 



Let us next briefly consider the transformations of 

 the Drinker Moth ( Odones tis potatorid) . The eggs are 



