293 Education through Nature 



eggs can actually be seen through this tube as they 

 pass down one by one and are placed regularly in 

 tiers. These eggs then begin to hatch and after a 

 time are converted into worm-like larvae, usually called 

 maggots. Observe these through the glass. After 

 some days of feeding, they begin to crawl around on 

 the glass and finally come to rest, gradually changing 

 their color from white to a dark brown the pupa. 

 Observe the actual transformation. After two weeks 

 the real fly can be seen coming out through an opening 

 of one end of the brown shell. 



Butterflies. Collect some of the large larvae walking 

 over leaves or stems or sometimes on the ground. 

 Note the kind of plant they live on, and supply them 

 for a few days with fresh food of the same kind. 



They may be kept in paper boxes if nothing better 

 can be had; a very convenient cage can be made 

 from an ordinary sieve into which is fitted, as a cover, 

 an ordinary kitchen fly-screen. This allows circula- 

 tion of the air, and gives an unobstructed view of the 

 larva at work. The pupation usually takes place in a 

 few days, for when the larva begins to wander about, 

 it is a sign that it is looking for a suitable place to 

 remain during the pupa stage. The final transforma- 

 tion takes place the next spring in May and June after 

 an apparent sleep of six or eight months. 



Moths can be secured as larvae; or the adult moth 

 may be taken and kept for a few days, when it will lay 

 its eggs. From these then the larvae can be reared. 

 (See pupil's paper in Part I on the "Sage Galls and 

 Their Inhabitants.") 



On Killing Insects. Insects and similar organisms 

 should first be put into a cyanide bottle. This can be 

 made without much difficulty as follows: Put a few 

 lumps of Potassium Cyanide (druggists keep it) into 

 a wide-mouthed bottle; or, better, a small museum or 

 preserving jar; cover the cyanide with cotton batting, 



