PROJECTS AND QUESTIONS 229 
Construction. — It is well to have the ends and top of wire netting 
in order to give plenty of air, and one side of glass so the inmates can 
be easily seen. The top should be on hinges so that specimens can be 
put in or removed whenever desired. 
Furnishing. — The floor may be covered with a good piece of sod 
several inches thick with the grass closely clipped. Tall plants may be 
grown at the ends, a fresh plant or two suspended from the top, and a 
few sprigs thrown on the floor. The plants should be of several varieties, 
as thistle, goldenrod, and clover, all in blossom, aiming to give the in- 
sects something that they may like to eat and to live with. Keep the 
sod green by watering occasionally ; renew the other things frequently. 
Into this cage all sorts of specimens are placed, as caterpillars, cocoons, 
moths, butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, flies, and ladybugs. All stages 
should be represented, — eggs, larve, pup, and 
adults, —and their habits and transformations 
observed. 
2. The structure of an insect. — Catch a few 
large insects, as grasshoppers or dragon flies, and 
observe them carefully. Can you distinguish the 
three parts of the body — head, thorax, and ab- 
domen? To which part are the legs attached? 
How many legs are there? How many joints have 
the legs? To which part are the wings attached? , 
How many wings has each of your specimens? To which part are the 
feelers attached? Do they consist of a single piece or are they jointed? 
Find the row of breathing pores on each side of the grasshopper’s ab- 
domen. If.you have a good magnifying lens observe the appearance of 
the compound eyes of the grasshopper or the dragon fly. Find the 
simple eyes. In the dragon fly they are located in the triangular space 
between the compound eyes and the projecting front part of the head. 
The description of the grasshopper on page 219 of this book gives their 
location for that insect. 
3. Insecis in winter. — Late in autumn, say between the middle of 
October and the first of November, make an investigation to ascertain 
what is becoming of the insects. Look for them under stones, boards, 
leaves, grass, and rubbish. The cocoon of the moth and the chrysalis 
of the butterfly you will find on bushes and other objects. You should 
discover a considerable variety of insects in this way. In what con- 
Part oF INSECT’s 
CompounD EYE 
Greatly enlarged. 
