CHAPTER III 



THE LEPIDOPTERA OR BUTTERFLIES AED 

 MOTHS 



The butterflies and moths constitute the large order 

 Lepidoptera, or scaly-winged insects. They have sucking 

 mouth parts and undergo a complete metamorphosis. We 

 shall select as a type of this order the common and widely 

 distributed cabbage butterfly which is so frequently 

 seen in our gardens. This butterfly was introduced from 



FIG. 14. The cabbage butterfly, a, larva. (After Packard.) 



Europe in about 1860 and, as it produces three or more 

 broods a year, has now spread over most of the United 

 States wherever there is a cabbage patch to afford food for 

 its larvae. The whitish scales which cover the wings and 

 part of the body are beautifully sculptured objects, shaped 

 much like a paddle with a very short handle. They are 

 modified hairs and various intermediate gradations be- 

 tween hairs and scales may be found on different parts 

 of the butterfly. The sucking tube which usually lies 



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