Clje Cairdbimt llortitnltarist 



VOL. I.] 



OCTOBEK, 1878, 



[No. . la 



THE AliCHIPPUS BUTTERFLY, 

 ( Danals Archippus.) 



If. our readers will look at fig, 13, a, they will see how the cater- 

 pillar appears after it has 

 suspended itself Yet 

 it is not motionless, 

 but keeps continually 

 stretching forth its head 

 and bringing it in again, 

 with very much the 

 same motion as is irwide 

 while feeding, with the 

 edge of the leaf l>et ween Fig. 13, 



its claws, beginning as far from itself as it can reach, and cutting it 

 down as it dmws the head in towards the body. What this movement 

 of the head has to do with the changes that are going on within its 

 body we can not say, but for some reason it keeps up this motion with 

 very little intermission until it is ready to cast off its skin. The 

 approach of this event may ht known by its shrivelled appearance, the 

 iieshy horns have become withered and almost dry looking, and the 

 skin is wrinkled and thin. The caterpillar occasionally draws itself 

 up and strains itself, until it succeeds in bursting the skin on the back 

 not far from the head. And now commences a series of movements 

 very difficult accurately to describe, but wonderful to look upon. The 

 creature stretches and contracts its body with an astonishing rapidity, 

 and at each movement forces the skin upwards, until it has reached the 

 spot from which it is suspended. At the hinder, or what is now the 

 upper, end of the body, there has betui ibrmed beneath the skin a black 

 little spike, crowned at the extremity with a number of little hooks by 



