"COMING OUT" THE BDTTEE^L^. 13 



colour, and if the enclosed butterfly be a strongly 

 marked one, the pattern of its wings shows through, 

 often quite distinctly. 



When the fulness of time arrives, the creature breaks 

 through its thin casings, which divide in several places, 

 and the freed insect crawls up into some convenient 

 spot to dry itself, and allow the wings to expand. 



All the organs are at first moist and tender, but on 

 exposure to the air soon acquire strength and firmness. 



At the moment of emergence, the wings are very 

 miniature affairs, sometimes hardly one-twentieth of 

 their full size when expanded ; but so rapid is their 

 increase in volume, that they may actually be seen to 

 grow, as the fluids from the body are pumped into the 

 nervures that support the wing-membrane, and keep 

 it extended. 



In the more strongly marked, or richly coloured 

 species, it is a wonderfully beautiful sight to watch this 

 expansion of the wings, and to see the various features 

 of their painted devices growing under the eye and de- 

 veloping gradually into their true proportions. 



Generally within an hour the development is com- 

 plete, and the wings, having gained their full expanse 

 and consistency by drying in the sun, are ready for 

 flight, and the glad creature wings his way to the fields 

 of air, and enters on that Jife of sunshine and hilarity 

 which is associated with the very name of "Butterfly" 



But not every chrysalis arrives at this happy consum- 

 mation of its existence. Supposing that you have 

 reared and watched a caterpillar to apparently healthy 

 maturity, that it has duly become a chrysalis, and you 

 are awaiting its appearance in butterfly splendour 

 peeping into your box some morning to see if the bright 

 expected one is " out, ;; be not surprised if in its stead 

 you find the box tenanted by a swarm of little black 

 flies an impish-looking crew. Whence came all 

 these ? Why they and the empty chrysalis shell are 

 all that remains of your cherished prize ; so look no 

 more for the fair sunny butterfly, devoured ere born by 



