YOUXG NATURALIST. 



195 



" Well, now you are undeceived ; all caterpillars and all 

 butterflies are subject to them ; but there are few caterpil- 

 lars which spin so valuable a cocoon as the silk -worm. 

 Moreover, some bury themselves in the earth ; while others 

 hide in the middle of a leaf, the edges of which they curl 

 round so as to form a kind of bag, in which they are pro- 

 tected from the beaks of birds ; again, some hollow out a 

 shelter in the trunk of a tree, and line their abode with silk 

 more or less fine. Thus, in every case, the chrysalis waits 

 patiently for the time when it will change from a worm 

 into a butterfly, painted with the richest colors." 



The subject was really an inexhaustible one, so I deferred 

 the rest of my explanations to another day. Besides, 

 PEncuerado was loudly calling for us. 



