Beautiful Butterflies. 19 



legs, and such it appears they really are ; their prin- 

 cipal use seems to be to support the body, to the hinder 

 part of which they are attached ; a pair on each seg- 

 ment up to the ninth, and the remaining pair on the 

 last; by adhering to the twigs or shoots, on which 

 the animal crawls. You stare at the word animal 

 applied to a Caterpillar, but it is quite correct. All 

 living creatures are animals; you are one, and I am 

 one, and the invisible animalcule that sports in a drop 

 of water is one. But we will not stop to discuss the 

 point now, having the pro-legs of our crawler to exa- 

 mine. I have said that they are soft and fleshy, or 

 membranous legs, or things that in some measure 

 answer the purpose of legs. They are of a cone, or 

 sugar-loaf shape, and can be lengthened and shortened 

 at pleasure, like the horns of a snail ; each of them is 

 terminated by a triangular-shaped foot, if foot it may 

 be called, at the bottom of which is a flat surface, or 

 what may be termed the sole ; on the inner edge of 

 this is a row of small hooks, or claws, consisting of a 

 long and short one alternately placed. When the foot 

 is extended, these claws are turned outwards, and their 

 curved points find inequalities on which they can take 

 hold on almost any substance, however smooth it may 

 appear. Here are two cuts; — one exhibiting this 

 curious pro-leg with the foot expanded, and the other 



