on poplars and elms, and the first brood 

 come early in June. In appearance it is 

 black, minutely dotted with white, with 

 rows of eight brick red spots on the top 

 of its back. The head is black with pro- 

 jecting points and each segment has six 

 or seven spines. With this thorny arma- 

 ture it has the appearance of being very 

 formidable, although it is one of our 

 most harmless caterpillars. The cater- 

 pillar is dark brown with large tawny 

 spots around the pointed tubercles on its 

 back. It remains twelve days in the 

 chrysalis state. The caterpillar feeds on 

 the leaves of every kind of violets. 



About the last of May or the begin- 

 ning of June a small but pretty white 

 butterfly may be seen flying over cab- 

 bage, radish and turnip beds. This may 

 be the Pieris protodice of our illustra- 

 tion or its interesting relative, Pie r is 

 rapae. Both do a great deal of damage. 

 They lay their eggs on the under side of 

 a leaf, and while the number is not great 

 there are sufficient to cause great de- 



struction when the caterpillars are 

 hatched. The Pieris rapae or small 

 white cabbage butterfly is interesting 

 historically, since it is not a native of our 

 country, but was brought to us, prob- 

 ably as a fertile female stowaway in a 

 ship load of vegetables from Europe 

 about i860. In 1881 it had spread over 

 the eastern half of the continent, and it 

 is now found from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific. 



Debts portlandia, often called the 

 Pearly Eye, has an extensive range, cov- 

 ering the United States from the Atlan- 

 tic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. Its 

 larvae feed upon grasses. This pretty 

 butterfly is one of two species which are 

 the sole representatives in this country 

 of a very large genus. 



Pyrameis huntera, or Hunter's Butter- 

 fly, is quite widely distributed over the 

 United States. Its larvae , feed upon 

 cudweed (Gnaphalium) .and everlasting 

 (Antennaria) . 



Isabel M. Johnston. 



THE CHILD AND THE BUTTERFLY. 



"Oh, butterfly, how do you, pray, 

 Your wings so prettily array? 

 Where do you find the paints from which 

 To mix your colors, warm and rich ?" 



The butterfly, in answer, said : 

 "The roses lend me pink and red, 

 The violets their deepest blue, 

 And every flower its . chosen hue. 



"My palette is a rose-leaf fair, 

 My brush is formed of maiden-hair, 

 And dewdrops shining in the grass 

 Serve nicely for my looking-glass !" 



— Nixon Watkrman. 



06 



