26 BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 



all when you touch it ? Look for the skin that the 

 caterpillar shed. 



Drawing and Composition. Draw a picture of 

 the pupa that you saw. Write a paragraph telling 

 how the caterpillar that it came from had prepared 

 itself for its change, and another paragraph describ- 

 ing the pupa. 



SUPPLEMENTARY WORK 



Caterpillar Silk. A few kinds of caterpillars bury them- 

 selves in the ground when they are about to change to pupas, 

 but most kinds hang themselves up by threads of silk which 

 they spin. Put a small caterpillar, such as a measuring worm, 

 on the end of a lead pencil and then make it drop off. It 

 often catches itself by a thread that it spins while it is fall- 

 ing. Wait and see what the caterpillar does when it gets over 

 its fright. 



Cocoons. When some kinds of caterpillars are about to 

 become pupas, they spin coverings, or cocoons, in which they 

 lie until they change to winged insects. Many of the pupas 

 pass the winter in their coverings. Those caterpillars that 

 spin cocoons become moths. Sometimes you may find a green 

 caterpillar as large as your thumb lying under a walnut or 

 maple tree. Put one in a cage and feed it. When it is ready 

 to change to a pupa, it will spin a thick cocoon around itself. 

 Watch the caterpillar as it spins. If you keep the cocoon 

 until next spring, a beautiful moth will probably come from it. 



3. THE BUTTERFLY OR MOTH 



Observation. What is the shape of the butterfly's 

 head? How is it joined to the body? How many 

 feelers has it ? What is the shape of its feelers ? 



