them to some object for safety. Some- 

 times the eggs are deposited singly, but 

 often in clusters, numbering from a 

 do!zen to a hundred. They usually hatch 

 in from three to seven days. The cater- 

 pillar, which the egg produces, gets its 

 name from 'cates,' food, and 'pillar' to 

 rob. He is a great glutton and can, in 

 twenty-four hours, eat double his own 

 weight." 



"I am ashamed of myself," exclaimed 

 Edith, "I have been saying the word 

 'caterpillar' all my life and never thought 

 about what the name meant." 



"You are not alone in your ignorance, 

 if that is any comfort," cried John. 



"The caterpillar has thirteen joints, 

 three pair of legs and several prop legs 

 or prolegs, which it loses while in its 

 chrysalis state. It molts three or four 

 times and remains in the pupa state from 

 three to fourteen days. The word chry- 

 salis is from the Greek and means 

 'golden,' the usual color of the cocoon." 



"How stupid," said Howard, "we have 

 several boxes with chrysalids of various 

 creatures and yet have never thought 

 to ask how the queer little mummy-cases 

 came to have that name. 'Golden' may 

 be the usual color, but I have some soft- 

 gray ones also." 



"Naturalists," continued Aunt Jane, 

 "have experimented with the caterpillar, 

 and hope to be able to change it into its 

 chrysalis state at pleasure, and to for- 

 ward, stop or regulate, all its develop- 

 ments. When the Butterfly comes out of 

 its prison-house its wings are no' larger 

 than a man's finger-nail, but it soon 

 forces air into^ the hollow frame work of 

 the wings until they expand to their full 

 size. It then waits awhile to become 

 thoroughly dry, fo^r it had to^ moisten the 

 cocoon in order to escape from it, and 

 then it sails away, looking like a gor- 

 geous blossom on the wing, or else a 

 wandering spot of sunshine." 



"I am much obliged to you for explain- 

 ing how such large wings could be ac- 

 commodated in such a small case," said 

 John. 



"Think now what a marvelous crea- 

 ture the once gluttonous caterpillar has 

 become ! Its wings are covered with a 

 rich mosaic of scales, hundreds of thou- 

 sands of them on each win^f of the small- 



est specimen. Its compound eyes are a 

 noticeable feature. If each facet has the 

 power of separate vision, the common 

 Butterfly sees with seventy-three thou- 

 sand eyes." 



"Whew," whistled John, "no wonder 

 it is hard to catch." 



"Its tongue," Aunt Jane continued, 

 "is as long as its entire body. The 

 antenae are twoi long, jointed organs, and 

 supposed to be this insect's instruments 

 of hearing. The Butterfly may be distin- 

 guished from its night relative, the moth, 

 by the knobs on the ends of the antenae. 

 Also by the erect position of its wings 

 when at rest, and by the appearance of 

 the undersides of the wings, which also 

 have brilliancy of coloring. Butterflies 

 find their food in flowers, grasses and 

 sap of wood. I have often noticed them 

 sipping on fresh cut chips. Butterflies 

 are true children of the sun, and love 

 to bask in its rays; hence, if found in 

 the woods, it will be in a sunshiny spot." 



"Can you tell us how they spend the 

 night?" Alice inquired. 



"Perhaps in some such way as they do 

 a bad day, for, when it is cold and damp, 

 they retire, as if for the night, by select- 

 ing some leaf to which they attach them- 

 selves on the underside, with wings 

 folded back to back. The hooks in their 

 feet enable them to anchor themselves 

 securely even when the wind blows. To 

 know Butterflies by their names adds 

 much to one's interest in them." 



"Please, Auntie, spare us the long 

 Latin names," cried the children in con- 

 cert. 



"The scientific names 'Papilio asterias' 

 and 'Pieris napi' are not more dijfficult to 

 speak than the names of some of your 

 acquaintances. Even when the scientific 

 name of a Butterfly is as long as the 

 insect itself as 'Lycaena psendargiolus, 

 still it strengthens the memory to master 

 it. The common names of Butterflies are 

 very easy to remember." 



"Auntie, do you think a Butterfly could 

 be tamed ?" Madge asked. "I would love 

 to have one for a pet." 



"Yes, they are easily tamed. I have 

 heard that a lady tried the experiment 

 by keeping a newly-hatched one in a cage 

 made of threads of bamboo. She fed it 

 on honey and placed flowers and moss 



138 



