CATFISH 



1226 



CATHARINE 



sickening taste which saves them from being 

 eaten by other small animals. But in spite 

 of these devices a very, very small propor- 

 tion of the caterpillars that are hatched ever 

 come to the cocoon-building stage, for not 

 only do larger animals eat them, but tiny 

 parasites burrow in their bodies and drain their 

 life. 



Feeding of Caterpillars. Mature butterflies 

 do no harm, and the cocoon, or chrysalis, is 

 to all appearance a lifeless thing needing no 

 food, but caterpillars are heavy eaters, and 

 it is this which makes them a serious menace. 

 Some few, as the silkworms (see SILK), are 

 valuable, but most of them do nothing to pay 

 for what they devour. One of the things that 

 makes farming hard work is the constant fight 

 that must be waged against caterpillars, for 

 roots, leaves, flowers and fruit have all their 

 particular enemies among these larvae (young) . 

 Sometimes, in years when caterpillars are espe- 

 cially numerous, great fields are made bare 

 of vegetation, and orchard, forest and shade 

 trees are stripped of their leaves. Exceed- 

 ingly troublesome are such pests as the cab- 

 bage worm, the cotton worm, the army worm 

 and the cutworm. In most countries the gov- 

 ernmental departments of agriculture have 

 made special studies of these plant enemies, 

 and they willingly furnish to the farmers in- 

 formation relating to the best means of fighting 

 them. C.H.H. 



Related Subjects. The reader is referred to 

 the following articles in these volumes, impor- 

 tant in the study of the caterpillar : 

 Butterfly Moth 



Molting Tent Caterpillar 



Consult the books referred to under articles 

 BUTTERFLY ; MOTH. 



CATFISH, a group of smooth-skinned fishes 

 with protective spines on the fins and "whis- 



CATFISH 



kers" around the mouth. On being taken 

 from the water they sometimes make a curious, 

 purring noise, hence the name. Most catfish 

 live in fresh. water, but some tropical species 

 live in the ocean. Catfish are especially 



abundant in South America and Africa, but a 

 number of species are found throughout the 

 United States and Canada, and are there often 

 known as horned pout and bullhead. The bull- 

 head has been called "the friend of the poor," 

 because it can be caught easily with any bait, 

 hook or tackle. The largest specimens of cat- 

 fish have weighed 150 pounds, but the average 

 weight is about thirty-five pounds. The flesh 

 is sweet and nutritious. The species known 

 as the bullhead averages in American lakes 

 and rivers from one to two pounds. In the 

 Mississippi Valley the blue and channel cat- 

 fish are very abundant. 



CATHARINE, kath'erin, the name of two 

 rulers of Russia who exercised great influence. 



Catharine I (1684-1727), wife of Peter the 

 Great, and after his death empress. Born 

 of poor parents, who died when she was three 

 years old, she never received an education. 

 In 1701 she married a dragoon of the Marien- 

 burg garrison. When the town was taken by 

 the Russians in 1702 she fell into the hands of 

 a Russian officer, who passed her on to an- 

 other, and finally she was taken by Peter the 

 Great. She acquired a wonderful influence 

 over him, and in 1712 he married her. In 

 1724 she was crowned at Moscow, and on the 

 death of her husband a palace intrigue made 

 her his successor. Though immoral and un- 

 learned, she had charm and an active mind, 

 and did much for Peter and for -Russia. 



Catharine II (1729-1796), a firm, talented 

 empress of Russia, but an unprincipled woman 

 with two ruling passions love and ambition. 

 So profoundly did she influence her country 

 that she became known after her death as 

 CATHARINE THE 

 GREAT. In 1745 she 

 was married to 

 Peter, nephew of the 

 Empress Elizabeth. 

 Peter came to the 

 throne on the death 

 of Elizabeth in 1762. 

 But Catharine, 

 whose married life 

 was not happy, won 

 over the Imperial 

 Guards, with the as- 

 sistance of the Orloff 

 family and others, 

 and after Peter had 

 reigned for a few months he was deposed, 

 thrown into prison and afterwards killed. 

 Catharine was then proclaimed empress. 



CATHARINE THE 

 GREAT 



