170 NATURE TEACHING 



skin periodically to allow for growth in size. When it is 

 full grown and contains a large amount of fat, it again 

 sheds its skin and appears as the " chrysalis " or "pupa." 



This stage is comparatively short and is a period 

 of rest, when the body of the perfect insect is built 

 up anew from the body of the caterpillar. At its close, 

 the hard skin cracks, and the fully developed moth or 

 butterfly comes out. 



The perfect insect has two pairs of large wings 

 clothed with scales, three pairs of long-jointed legs, 

 large eyes, and, in place of the jaws of the caterpillar, 

 a long tubular proboscis which serves to suck up the 

 honey which may form its food. The female moth or 

 butterfly then seeks the right food-plant and deposits a 

 varying number of eggs, from which the caterpillars 

 hatch. The eggs may be laid singly or in clusters, and 

 are of very varied appearance. The caterpillars that 

 hatch therefrom are also very varied in colour, being 

 white, green, or marked with red, black and yellow ; 

 some are perfectly smooth, whilst others are covered 

 with hairs, spines or bristles. Some caterpillars are 

 very small for instance, those found in " maggotty " 

 peas whilst others are as much as four inches long for 

 example, the caterpillars of the goat's-moth, and of the 

 death's-head moth. The resting or pupal stage is often 

 spent on the food-plant, sometimes in a cocoon ; but 

 many chrysalides are found in the earth. 



Crops are destroyed only by the caterpillar. Neither 

 the pupa nor the perfect insect injure plants, and, as has 

 already been stated, moths and butterflies are important 

 agents in the pollination of many flowers. 



