The Life of the Caterpillar 



How does the Pieris manage to know her 

 way about her botanical domain? We have 

 seen the Larini/ those explorers of fleshy 

 receptacles with an artichoke flavour, astonish 

 us with their knowledge of the flora of the 

 thistle tribe; but their lore might, at a pinch, 

 be explained by the method followed at the 

 moment of housing the egg. With their 

 rostrum, they prepare niches and dig out 

 basins in the receptacle exploited and con- 

 sequently they taste the thing a little before 

 entrusting their eggs to it. On the other 

 hand, the Butterfly, a nectar-drinker, makes 

 not the least enquiry into the savoury qualities 

 of the leafage; at most, dipping her proboscis 

 into the flowers, she abstracts a mouthful of 

 syrup. This means of investigation, more- 

 over, would be of no use to her, for the plant 

 selected for the establishing of her family Is, 

 for the most part, not yet in flower. The 

 mother flits for a moment around the plant; 

 and that swift examination is enough: the 

 emission of eggs takes place if the provender 

 be found suitable. 



The botanist, to recognize a cruclfer, re- 



^A species of Weevils found on thistle-heads. — Trans- 

 lator's Note. 



338 



