90 THREE KINGDOMS. 



cones and buds, to show that there is plenty of outdoor 

 work, even in winter; while, indoors, cabinets are to be 

 built, specimens determined, labeled, and arranged, 

 philosophical experiments performed, books read, let- 

 ters written, exchanges made. 



Many of our members capture caterpillars and 

 others insects in the fall, and keep them during 1 the 

 winter, watching" their curious habits and wonderful 

 transformations, as is detailed in the following- bright 

 letter: 



DEAR MR. BALLARD: I have been reading: "Insect 

 Lives."* It is the nicest book I have ever read. I could read a 

 whole library full of books just like that. I am getting on 

 famously with my collection. But one of my caterpillars does 

 act so funny. It is the caterpillar of that moth the Poly- 

 phemus, is it? I found him two days ago and put him in my 

 box. He seemed very sluggish. If I turned him over, he 

 would very plowly turn himself over back again; but I thought 

 perhaps he was going to change his skin, or something like 

 that. The next afternoon I looked at him, and there were 

 hundreds of little worms coming out of his skin (horrid 

 things!). I was going to burn him up, but decided to wait and 

 see what would come of it. The next morning nearly all of 

 them had changed into little grayish-brown cocoons, and 

 tumbled off, leaving tiny holes in his skin, and now he is twist- 

 ing about like a good fellow. ANNIE BOSWORTH. 



The sequel to this tragedy was told in a subsequent 

 letter from the same writer. 



"My poor worm died the day after I wrote you, and a day 

 or two after the little rice-houses began to open, and hundreds 

 of tiny flies came out from them, but I threw them away in 

 disgust." 



*The latest edition of INSECT LIVES in entitled "Among 

 the Moths and Butterflies," and is published at $1.25 by G. P. 

 Putnam's Sons, N. Y. City, It is the best book for beginners 

 in Entomology. 



