252 AGRICULTURE 



sheaths within which the wings, legs, and antennae are 

 developing. The body of the caterpillar is made over into 

 an entirely new set of structures especially fitted for the 

 different life the adult will lead. A wonderful change 

 takes place in both the structure and the habits during the 

 two stages of these insects' lives. A new butterfly is 

 formed out of the body of the old caterpillar without de- 

 stroying its life. This is just what happens with most 

 insects. With moths the changes are very similar, only 

 they are hidden from view by the cocoon, or silken case, 

 that the caterpillar spins around itself for protection dur- 

 ing this critical time of life. The change with wasps and 

 bees and beetles is just as great as with butterflies and 

 moths. 



EXERCISE. Bring some potato beetles to the school and confine 

 them in a cage such as shown in Fig. 166, with some of the potato 

 vines. Watch the adult beetles lay their eggs and the young hatch 

 and grow. Have some earth in the bottom of the cage for the larvze 

 to enter when they are ready to transform. After a few days dig out 

 some of the pupze and see how differently they are formed from the 

 mature insects that were put in. 



