THE BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 97 



The Butterflies 



The highest group of the Lepidoptera is the great super- 

 family to which the butterflies belong ; this is commonly 

 called the Papilionina. This includes four distinct f amihes 

 which need not be considered specifically here. 



The butterflies as a group are day-flying insects, with 

 knobbed antennae or " feelers," small bodies, and compara- 

 tively large wings. The caterpillars do not spin cocoons, 

 changing to the pupa state as naked chrysalids, although 

 often there is a loop of silk over the shoulders to hold the 

 chrysalis in position. These caterpillars have three pairs 

 of true legs and five pairs of prolegs. 



A familiar example of the life history of a butterfly is 

 found in the common Cabbage Worm, the adult of which 

 is the common white butterfly, with black spots upon the 

 wings, which is to be seen flying about gardens throughout 

 the summer. These butterflies lay eggs upon the cabbage 

 leaves. The eggs soon hatch into small greenish larvae 

 that feed upon the tissues of the leaf for a few weeks, 

 molting or casting their skins four or five times during this 

 period. When full grown, they find some sheltering leaf, 

 stone, or board, beneath which they change to the chrysalis 

 state, to emerge a short time later as adult butterflies. 



While as a group the butterflies have by no means as 

 many injurious species as have the various groups of moths, 

 a number of rather destructive insects belong to it. One 

 of the most widespread of these is the Black Swallow-tail 

 or Asterias Butterfly, the larvae of which feed upon the 

 leaves of celery, carrots, parsnips, and various other mem- 

 bers of the parsley family. These caterpillars are green, 

 marked with black, and may very commonly be found upon 

 the garden plants mentioned. Another species, which is 



