360 



The Moths and Butterflies 



FIG. 508. Bit of wing of monarch but- 

 terfly, Anosia plexippus, showing scales; 

 some scales removed to show the inser- 

 tion-pits and their regular arrangement. 

 (Greatly magnified.) 



and the extreme specialization of the butterfly's mouth an interesting and 

 illuminating gradatory series is dis- 

 coverable by examining moths of suc- 

 cessively more specialized character. 

 The development of moths and 

 butterflies shows the usual character- 

 ("\ i sties of devel- 

 opment with 

 complete meta- 

 morphosis, the 

 larval or cater- 

 pillar stage be- 

 ing quite dis- 

 similar from 

 the pupal or 

 chrysalid stage, 

 and that in 

 turn from the 



adult or imaginal stage. The immature stages of 

 Lepidoptera are more familiar than those of any other 

 order; we have all seen, and recognized for what they 

 are, the caterpillars and chrysalids of various moths 

 and butterflies. The great silken cocoons found on 

 orchard-trees in winter-time are known to contain 

 the pupae of giant moths, as the 

 Cecropia, the Polyphemus, and others, 

 while the soft-bodied green tomato- 

 worms are as well known to be the 

 young (larvae) of the hawk-moths. 

 As a matter of fact the young stages 

 of no other of the insects with com- 

 plete metamorphosis are so nearly 

 unmistakably characterized by their 

 common possession of certain well- 

 defined features. The larvae or cater- 

 pillars, for example, with very few 

 exceptions, possess, in addition to 

 FIG. 509. Sucking-proboscis of a sphinx- three pairs of jointed legs on the first 

 moth; at left the proboscis is shown three segments behind the head, 

 coiled up on the under side of the head, . _ t , 



the normal position when not in use. from three to five pairs of short 

 (Small figure, natural size; large figure, fleshy un jointed legs or feet called 



prop-legs, on certain abdominal seg- 



one-half natural size.) 



