94 ANIMALS AND INSECTS 



enchanted sleep which will end in the glorious, new 

 life of a butterfly or moth. 



If it is the kind of a caterpillar that is going to 

 change into a butterfly, it fastens the end of its 

 body to a twig or the side of a house by the same 

 kind of a silken cushion it made when changing its 

 skin. Then it weaves a fine silken rope around its 

 neck and attaches the ends to the same support, so 

 it hangs like a tiny hammock. Then for the last 

 time the skin is changed, and the old skin drops 

 away leaving our caterpillar a very different looking 

 thing from what it was before. It is so different in 

 shape and color that no one could guess, unless he 

 knew, just what it was. 



Within this odd-shaped chrysalis the wonderful 

 change is going on of which I have told you. The 

 caterpillar is transformed, and out of the broken 

 shell of the chrysalis crawls a limp, wet creatm-e, 

 looking like a drowned butterfly. It hangs by its 

 feet to the chrysalis, pumping from its swollen body 

 into the dainty, crumpled wings the liquid which 

 will unfold and strengthen them. Gradually the 

 body shrinks in size and becomes drier and the 

 wings unfold and spread open, — then away it flies 

 in all its beauty. 



The caterpiUar which is to become a moth makes 

 a different cradle for its wonder sleep. It does as 

 the woolly-bear caterpillar does. First, it weaves 

 a silken cocoon around its body, then it sheds its 

 skin for the last time and changes into a chrysalis 

 within the cocoon. It is very interesting to see the 

 caterpillar weave the outside threads of its cocoon. 



