78 NATURE STUDY IN SCHOOLS. 



INSECTS. 



BY 



Harry H. Whall. 



THE SILVER COMMA. 

 (Plate 1, lower figure, Vol. I, No. 1. ) 



The silver comma, which is quite abundant in summer, is one of the 

 butterflies which passes the winter with us, not flying about, but sleeping in 

 some sheltered place such as under stumps and leaves. In one case I can re- 

 member of finding an old water bucket, with one stave broken in, in some 

 bushes along the side of an old road, so I thought I would see what might be 

 in it, and upon raising it, what was my surprise to find not only a wasp's 

 nest, and a cocoon of one of our smaller moths, but also a butterfly cling- 

 ing to the bottom. This, however, was not the above named comma, but the 

 mourning butterfly, Vanessa antiopa. 



I saw an article in one of the daily papers some time ago, which 

 amused Mr. Maynard and myself quite a little. This I quote below. 



" It was a warm day in February, in fact people were tempted to go 

 out of doors without an overcoat, so warm was the day that the writer 

 sat at an open window reading when in through the window fluttered a 

 little butterfly. What could it mean ? Was it some bad omen ? Where 

 did it come from? It could not live through the severe storms and cold 

 weather. It must be some forewarner of ill luck. What was to be done ? 

 Should she let it go or allow it to remain ? She got some sugar and water 

 placed a little in a spoon, atid to her surprise it unrolled its tongue and 

 began to feed. She kept it in her room for some time and fed it every 

 day, but one day when she arose and looked at her little friend it lay 

 upon its side, and never ate again." 



Now you see if they had studied natural history in schools at the time 

 the writer attended, she would have known how it was that a butterfly 

 should appear so suddenly at that reason of the year. 



It seems strange, but it is true, nevertheless, that different insects will 

 live out of doors when it is extremely cold, and if brought into the house 

 where it is warm, will live only a few days. 



THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 

 ( Euproctis chrysorrhoea.) 



The brown- tail moth, with which they are having so much trouble in 

 Cambridge, Somerville, Maiden, and other adjoining districts, is one prob- 

 ably with which you are all familiar, that has the small nest at the tip end 



