THE CATERPILLAR. 17 



appendages are the antennae, and these again are 

 very similar to the maxillae. They are situated 

 just at the base of the mandibles and consist of 

 four joints, of which the first is only a fleshy 

 lump, and the others very small cylindrical joints, 

 each smaller than the previous, like the joints of 

 a telescope, the last extremely minute, and the 

 last but one furnished with a long bristle. The 

 eyes lie behind and above the antennae, and con- 

 sist of six little hemispherical warts, five of them 

 arranged in a curve opening backward, and the 

 sixth at some distance behind. 



The body, or the portion of the caterpillar lying 

 back of the head, is composed of thirteen seg- 

 ments ; so far as external form, shape, and size are 

 concerned, these segments do not often differ 

 greatly from each other ; they are generally cyl- 

 indrical rings a little shorter than broad ; but in 

 the appendages they bear are found differences 

 of great importance. Only the three segments 

 immediately following the head bear horny and 

 distinctly jointed legs ; but since the caterpillar 

 would find it difficult to move freely in situations 

 where it must seek its food without some prop 

 to the hinder part of its body, it possesses besides 

 five pairs of false legs, or prolegs as they are called, 

 which for its purposes are even an improvement 

 upon the genuine article [Fig. 22]. The true legs 

 terminate in a horny claw and are encased in 



