The Life of the Caterpillar 



of the vulgar "greens" that form the basis of 

 our cabbage-soup. 



The cabbage, first in order of date in our 

 kitchen-gardens, was held in high esteem by 

 classic antiquity, next after the bean and, later, 

 the pea; but it goes much farther back, so far 

 indeed that no memories of its acquisition re- 

 main. History pays but little attention to 

 these details: it celebrates the battle-fields 

 whereon we meet our death, it scorns to speak 

 of the ploughed fields whereby we thrive; it 

 knows the names of the kings' bastards, it 

 cannot tell us the origin of wheat. That is 

 the way of human folly. 



This silence respecting the precious plants 

 that serve as food is most regrettable. The 

 cabbage in particular, the venerable cabbage, 

 that denizen of the most ancient garden- 

 plots, would have had extremely interesting 

 things to teach us. It is a treasure in itself, 

 but a treasure twice exploited, first by man 

 and next by the caterpillar of the Pieris, the 

 common Large White Butterfly whom we all 

 know (Pieris brassier, LIN.). This cater- 

 pillar feeds indiscriminately on the leaves of 

 all varieties of cabbage, however dissimilar 

 in appearance: he nibbles with the same ap- 



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