48 



THE NATURE BOOK 



characterised by their umbels of little green 

 and white flowers. If you will glance at 

 the illustration on page 46 you will notice 

 that, while the buttertiy in the centre with 

 open wings is quite conspicuous, the 

 one on the right with partly closed wings 



so frequently seen crawling across 

 the garden path, and always appearing 

 to be in a hurry. In the garden the 

 " woolly bear " is very mischievous, 

 but in the country it is generally found 

 feeding on the common white flowering 



"WOOLLY BEAK" CATEKPILLAKS. WHICH EVENTUALLY BECOME TIGEK MOTHS. 



appears like only half a butterfly, for its 

 lower green and white wings harmonise 

 so well with the flowers that they become 

 inconspicuous. On the extreme left of 

 the illustration is another butterfly with 

 wings still more closed, and this, it will be 

 observed, is still less conspicuous. Be- 

 tween that butterfly and the central one 

 is still another, with wings completely 

 closed, and this has become almost 

 invisible. In this way the Orange -Tip 

 Butterfly evades the eyes of its foes. 

 Even between its caterpillar and butterfly 

 stage, when it becomes a chrysalis, it 

 also mimics its surroundings, as I hope 

 to show you in due season. 



Here by this warm wall facing the sun 

 is another familiar insect. Everybody 

 knows the " woolly bear " cater])illar 



nettle, or dead-nettle, where it does no 

 harm. It has an artful way of rolling 

 itself into a ball when it is touched, and 

 dropping down amongst the herbage, 

 where it generally escapes, since its 

 long, flexible hairs give way so promptly to 

 the touch and leave its body so readily, 

 that it becomes difficult to pick it up. 

 Although this caterpillar is so familiar, 

 it is, nevertheless, not always associated 

 with another equally familiar insect. I 

 refer to the common Tiger Moth {Arciia 

 caia) w^hich appears about July. For it 

 is this beautiful insect that the " woolly 

 bear " eventually becomes. 



Another of England's commonest and 

 most beautiful insects is the Small Tortoise- 

 shell Butterfly {Vanessa urticcv). This 

 butterfly is frequently, but wrongly, called 



