LiLLiE] THE WAYS OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES 135 



changes. It is not necessary that either teacher or pupil know 

 ip.to what kind of insects, eggs which arfe found will hatch, but 

 they must observe the kind of plant upon which the eggs are laid 

 and fresh leaves of that plant must be ready for food for the 

 young when they hatch (that is if they feed upon leaves: feed 

 aphis lions and the larvae of lady beetles upon plant lice). Very 

 much of my knowledge of insects, and by far the best part I 

 learned just in this way. Children with their sharp eyes soon 

 become experts at finding insect eggs. 



In' my classes of teachers in smnmer schools we always raise 

 many different kinds of insects and among them several kinds of 

 butterflies and moths but I will only tell about our monarchs. 

 In the summer of 19 12 we raised twenty-six monarch butterflies, 

 most of them from the egg but a few from small caterpillars; 

 at one time twelve of the beautiful green chrysalids hung in a row 

 in the room. I have many times in the presence of a class held 

 in my hand the support from which a monarch caterpillar was 

 hanging while they watched it quickly slip out of its skin and 

 beco:_Tie a chrysalis and many times a class has seen the butterfly 

 emerge from the chrysalis, its wings lengthen and dry, and later 

 take its first nectar from flowers. Our monarchs are all raised 

 in old Mason jars, old jelly glasses or glass tumblers. It is very 

 easy to soon get a large collection for this purpose by asking a 

 few of your housekeeping friends to save you their worthless ones. 

 Three or four tiny monarchs can be kept in one glass but each 

 large one should be by itself. I always use as a cover, whatever 

 the glass, the heavy cover of a Mason jar and curn it upside down; 

 this aUows to enter what little air the caterpillar needs but does 

 not admit enough air to dry the leaves quickly although in hot 

 weather fresh food should be supplied twice each day; these 

 heavy covers will not be blown off as the lighter ones will by a 

 sudden gust of wind. 



When the caterpillars are fully grown they always fasten 

 themselves to the covers to change to chrysalids, this is usually 

 about the eleventh day; the quickest time ever made by one 

 under my observation was eight days and that was in my class 

 room in 1912. When ready to become chrysalids they stretch 

 the:.Tiselves out on the covers and remain almost motionless for 

 hours, usually about twelve, but during this time they weave a 

 button of silk by which they attach themselves, at their posterior 



