A BUTTERFLY. 29 



The hard facts do not agree with such conclu- 

 sions. There are butterflies that never feed at 

 all, because they have no proper mouth for the 

 purpose ; they mate, and lay eggs, and starve to 

 death in a few days. Moths are mere nightflying 

 butterflies, and there are moths, like the well- 

 known gypsy moth, of which the female, a beau- 

 tiful creature, lays her eggs a few hours after 

 coming out of the chrysalis, and lingers near 

 them, and dies in a few days without feeding, 

 although she has the means to do so. The males 

 live on a much longer time. 



There is a species of moths to be found in this 

 Province of which the female never has wings, 

 but lays eggs the same, while the male is 

 decked out in pretty buff-brown wings, enjoying 

 life in moth fashion. This has no common 

 name. It is known as Orygia leucostigma. 



Again, there are caterpillars that actually lay 

 eggs without mating, and these eggs produce 

 other caterpillars that produce butterflies. This 

 is evidently a move to keep from being utterly 

 extinguished by their enemies. Then, there are 

 moths that never mate and yet produce eggs 

 that are fertile, but the caterpillars are apt to be 

 mostly all of one sex. 



There are a great many small flies that drill 

 holes in the eggs and in the chrysalis of butter- 



