128 



THE NATURE BOOK 



completed its development. That quaint, 

 spiny caterpillar which suspended itself 

 to the branch and changed into a chrysalis, 

 has now again assumed a still more won- 

 derful form. It has become a most charm- 



CATERl'ILLAK OF THE BRIMSTONE 

 BUTTERFLY PREPARING TO BE- 

 COME A CHRYSALIS. 



ing butterfly with velvety brown and 

 white wings above, while their under 

 sides are coloured with delicate blue- 

 greys contrasted with patches of mahogany 

 brown. In the first illustration here, the 

 insect is shown in all the glory of its 

 handsome uniform. It is the White 

 Admiral Butterfly {Limenitis sibylla). In 

 this lovely guise the insect will probably 

 spend some two or three weeks of life in 

 the sunlight, swiftly flying along the 

 woodland glades, seeking its mate, and 

 then depositing its eggs about the leaves 

 of honeysuckle bushes, with which 

 operation its career will terminate. 

 From its eggs will come little cater- 

 pillars, which feed on honeysuckle leaves 

 until winter approaches, when they 

 hibernate, wrapped in shrunken leaves, 

 until spring. In the early spring they 

 commence to feed again, and quickly 

 develop into the s])iny caterpillars 

 that eventually suspend themselves to 

 a branch by their tail-ends, prior to 



changing into chrysalides, as previously 

 observed. 



The second butterfly considered in my 

 last paper was then, as we observed, in its 

 caterpillar stage, and was feeding on buck- 

 thorn leaves. In the illustration on this 

 page the full-grown caterpillar is shown 

 preparing to become a chrysalis. It will 

 be observed that its method of procedure 

 is quite different from that of the White 

 Admiral Caterpillar. This caterpillar of 

 the Brimstone Butterfly does not hang 

 head downwards, but becomes a chrysalis 

 with its head pointed upwards. The 

 next illustration shows this same 

 caterpillar after it has moulted its skin 

 and evolved into a chrysalis. Notice that 

 the chrysalis is not only attached at 

 its tail-end. but is also supported with a 

 delicate silken girdle round the body. 

 Now these contrasting features are impor- 

 tant points in the classification of butter- 

 flies, for those butterflies which in their 



CHRYSALIS OF THE BRIMSTONE 

 BUTTERFLY. 



chrj'salis stage are suspended by their 

 tails produce butterflies of both sexes 

 with only four perfect legs, the forelegs 

 being rudimentary and of no use in walk- 

 ing ; and on these features are based the 

 characteristics of the extensive family 

 of the Nymphnlidcc, which include Fritil- 



