48 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



mark of this caterpillar is a reddish-coloured forked 

 appendage just behind its head, which, when the animal 

 is alarmed, gives out a strong-scented fluid, supposed to 

 be for the purpose of alarming some of its enemies. 



The chrysalis, again, is a very pretty object, especially 

 when of its ordinary colour, which is a lively green, 

 shaded in some parts into bright yellow; but there is 

 a frequent variety marked only with various shades of 

 brown and buff. Living specimens of both of these are 

 before me at this moment, and when they assume the 

 perfect state, I shall be curious to mark whether these 

 differences are continued in the respective butterflies. 



These chrysalides are most interesting objects to keep 

 during the winter months. As the spring advances, the 

 colours of the butterfly begin to appear faintly through 

 their thin green envelope, and the pattern of the upper 

 wings, which only are visible, becomes at last distinctly 

 perceptible, of course in miniature. When this is the 

 case, we should begin to watch for the release of the 

 beautiful prisoner. 



If you visit his cage the first thing every morning (for 

 his exit most frequently takes place in the early part of 

 the day), you may be fortunate enough on one of these 

 occasions, to find the creature either actually emerging, or 

 just out of his case ; cutting an odd figure, and evidently 

 neither very proud of himself nor much at his ease, 

 his wings being tiny things, hardly bigger than those 

 of a humble-bee, and hanging limply from his compa- 

 ratively ponderous and gigantic body; which they are 

 nevertheless destined, ere many hours are over, to carry 

 with most enviable celerity through the air. 



The rapid increase in size of these organs is a matter 

 of marvel ; you can literally see them grow, and within 

 about an hour they will have reached their full expanse. 

 The creature attaches itself, back downwards, to the lid 

 of its cage, or to the under side of any convenient 

 horizontal surface, that the wings, by their own weight, 

 may aid in their dilatation, and that they may dry with- 

 out creasing, as they will sometimes do, when the insect, 



