400 ANIMAL LIFE-HISTORIES 



warmer part of the year, and the last set of chrysalides remain 

 in a dormant state throughout the winter, the butterflies emerging 

 the following spring. 



The eggs of Lepidoptera vary greatly in shape, external 

 markings, and colour, some of them being among-st the most 

 beautiful objects commonly included in cabinets of microscopic 

 slides. They are laid upon an appropriate food - plant, which 

 is by no means the least astonishing fact in the natural history 

 of insects, when we remember that the habits of larva and adult 

 are totally different, the former feeding greedily on leaves or 

 other vegetable matter by means of its powerful jaws, while the 

 latter, if it feeds at all, is usually limited to the sipping of nectar 

 through its suctorial proboscis. It sometimes happens that more 

 elaborate provisions are made for the welfare of the eggs. In 

 some of the Eggers or Lappet-Moths iyLasiocampidcs), for instance, 

 the female covers them with fur taken from her own body. 



When we come to consider caterpillars and chrysalides, we 

 are at once encountered with a bewildering variety of adapta- 

 tions to all sorts of conditions, to which it is impossible to do 

 justice in small space. Among the most interesting are the pro- 

 tective devices found among Stick Caterpillars and others, which 

 have been briefly dealt with in a preceding section (see vol. ii, 

 pp. 287, 293, 297, 307, 313, 359, 374). The caterpillars of one 

 family of small Moths {Psyckidir) are reminiscent of caddis- 

 worms, for they construct protective cases of various shape, 

 usually from earth or bits of plants. They are usually known 

 as " basket-worms " on this account. In some instances the case 

 is shaped exactly like a snail-shell, and made of closely-woven 

 silk. The change into a pupa takes place inside the larval 

 dwelling, and the female moth never quits it. Her eggs are 

 laid and hatched out therein, and it is suspected that the young 

 larvee begin life by devouring their mother, but at present they 

 are entitled to the benefit of the doubt. 



In one great family of Butterflies {Nymphalidcs), including, 

 among other forms, our native Fritillaries, Tortoiseshells, the 

 Red Admiral, the Painted Lady, and the Peacock Butterfly, the 

 chrysalis is hung up by the tip of its tail, which is provided 

 with sharply curved hooks for that purpose. The caterpillars of 

 a large number of species construct cocoons of various nature 

 before they pass into the helpless chrysalis stage. The pupse 



