INSECTS 



323 



FIG. 264. The Mosquito. 



which it undergoes its change. In this shell, or puparium, 



it is called the pupa (pronounced pu'-pa), or chrysalis. 



In about another 



week the creature 



emerges from its 



shell a fly. 

 The egg of the 



mosquito (Fig. 



264) is deposited 



in water, and 



hatches to form 



a "wiggler" (the 



larva), which swims about in the water. The wiggler 



breathes through the end of its "tail," and must come 



to the surface for air. We can kill it by putting a film 



of kerosene on the water, as the film cuts off its air 



supply. The wiggler sheds its "skin" often, and thus 

 changes into the pupa. Finally the 

 flying mosquito comes out of the 

 pupa "skin." 



Perhaps the most wonderful of 

 insect changes are those by which 

 the caterpillar becomes a chrysalis, 

 and the chrysalis a butterfly. Some 

 moths spin cocoons ; true butterflies 

 do not. 



FIG. 265. A Wasp's Nest. 



The most highly developed insects are 



ants, bees, and wasps (Fig 265). In the case of the bees, some eggs 

 develop without being fertilized. These form the male bee, or 

 drone. The fertilized eggs produce female bees, but only a few 

 of the females the queens become capable of laying eggs. 



