LIFE STORY OF THE PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY 781 



THE FULL-GROWN 

 LARVA SUS- 

 PENDED ITSELF 

 BY ITS TAIL- 

 END, AND PRO- 

 CEEDED TO— 



for t \v e 1 \' e 

 days (July 

 23rd). But 

 not until the 

 end of that 

 time did it be- 

 come obvious 

 that some 

 further de- 

 velopment was 

 taking place. 



MOULT ITS SKIN. 

 ABOVE IT IS 

 SHOWN AT THE 

 HALF-WAY STAGE. 



occasionally the l>uttertly emerges almost at once, 

 while others may wait the whole (jf the twenty- 

 four hours, or even longer ; so that there is no 

 criterion as to the exact time when the insect will 

 a])pear. It is, therefore, essential that a careful and 

 persistent watch should be kept upon the chrysalis, 

 especially as the butterfly only occupies a few 

 seconds in making its emergence and fulh' extend- 

 ing its wings. 



After si.x hours of waiting, one of the chrysalides 

 under observation suddenly moved — just a slight 

 jerk. Then the broad end gently 

 bulged and burst open. Through 

 the opening immediately appeared 

 the head of the buttei'fly, quickly 

 followed by the fore-legs, by means 

 of which the insect gripped the 

 stem and so assisted in more com- 

 fortably extricating its latter parts 

 (Y>. 783, No. i). A moment later it 

 was on the stem, leaving behind it 

 the broken and empty chrysalis 

 skin ; and in this way the chrysalis 

 changed to a 

 butterfly. 



H o w d i s- 

 appoint ing, 

 though, is our 

 butterfly! It 

 has dumpy 

 w i n g s, looks 

 like a cripple, 

 and is alto- 

 gether unlike 

 the parent 



The chrysalides 

 then lost their metallic splendour 

 and became greasy, and through 

 the outer skin the coloured wings 

 of the butterflies, now almost 

 ready to appear, became visible. 

 So few persons have seen a 

 butterfly emerge from its chrys- 

 alis into its world of sunlight, 

 that here was an opportunity not 

 to be missed. To seize the op- 

 portunity, however, was not so 

 simple as it seemed. Although we know from 

 external happenings that the butterfly is almost 

 ready to appear, yet just when it will emerge we 

 are quite unable to foretell. Therefore, we have 

 to wait Nature's time. This waiting sometimes 

 becomes tiresome, for the butterfly may appear 

 at any moment during about twenty-four liours 

 from the time the chrysalis ciianges its colour; 



AT THE END OF 

 FOUR MINUTES 

 THE SKIN WAS 

 FREE AND THE 

 CATERPILLAR 

 HAD BECOME A 

 CHRYSALIS. 



FINALLY. IT LET ITS CATKK- 

 FILLAR SKIN FALL TQ THE 

 GROUND. 



