THE 



NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



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 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 



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Editorial 

 Moth Philosophy 



Solomon told the sluggard that he might improve himself by 

 studying the ways of the ant, but more than sluggards may be 

 benefitted by considering thoughtfully the ways of the moth. 

 First of all to be noted are its methods of efl&ciency that put to 

 shame the best plans of our htmian experts. The moth's life is 

 divided into three highly specialized periods. The caterpillar 

 is the last word in efl&ciency in the art of eating and growing and 

 lax-ing up energy to be used in later life. It eats and rests, eats 

 and rests, with no distracting enterprises of any sort; if it had 

 the use of the wings, which are budding safely inside its anatomy, 

 it naturally could not attend strictly to the business of eatini^ 

 any more than folks can follow their usual himidrum routine 

 after they purchase an automobile. Incidentally the caterpillar 

 has the ^nsdom of the serpent, that special brand of wisdom 

 consisting of resembling its backgroimd so much that it entirely 

 avoids being seen. This is the reason that everyone is so startled 

 when he chances to stumble upon a serpent. If that wily beast 

 had been pink or scarlet so that he might be detected from afar, 

 he would have been a greater favorite with mankind, which resents 

 an animal that makes it shiver with surprise and say "Oh!" 



Each species of caterpillar has its own devices for looking like 

 its surroimdings. The great silk-worms of America have their 

 segments rather sharp on the ridges to resemble the serrate edge 

 of a leaf. The editor once tried to pick a Polv-phemus caterpillar 

 from a twig of hawthorn, thinking it was a wonderful leaf, an act 

 that lead to reciprocal recriminations, each in ovu- own tongue. 



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