32 Beautiful Butterflies. 



In gladsome April view the tree 

 Besume its verdant livery ; 

 From bars of ice the river freed, 

 Pursue its course along the mead : 



And earth, escaping from th* embrace 



Of winter, show a joyous face. 



E'en thus the worm, though lowly found, 



Groping its way upon the ground, 



May yet revive, a creature fair, 



And wander 'midst the realms of air." 



We will now examine a little into the structure of 

 the perfect insect — a common Butterfly ; and a truly 

 wonderful piece of living machinery we shall find it. 

 The body is divided into two principal divisions, called 

 the Thorax, meaning the breast or chest, and the 

 Abdomen, or stomach. The first of these is composed 

 of three segments, something like those described on 

 the Caterpillar, and the last of six or seven; these two 

 sections of the body have, as in most insects, a very 

 narrow line of connection ; they are both covered with 

 hairs, more or less long in different species. The 

 upper one is always thicker than the lower, because to 

 it are attached the organs of motion — the legs and 

 wings, the muscles of which, especially those of the 

 latter, are numerous and powerful. The legs are six 

 in number, and this is the case with all true insects : 

 there are three on each side, and their points of junc- 

 tion with the body are pretty close to, and at about 



