OCR COMMON BUTTERFLl IS 



horn at llic liiiul ciul, those which arc hirgcr than a man's little finger, 

 and those which make nests are fairly certain to be young moths. 

 A part of the rest are young butterflies. 



A CHRYSALIS 



When 3-oung Lepidoptera have eaten their fill once they cast off the 

 skin they have been wearing and get a larger one. This process is re- 

 peated three or four times and finally they are full-grown caterpillars. 

 Then, if the}^ be young moths, they seek a suitable place and usually 

 spin a cocoon of silk threads. Inside of this they moult once more but 

 instead of becoming a larger caterpillar each turns into a mummy-like 

 pupa. If they be 3'oung butterflies, the fundamental process is the 

 same but no cocoon is made. The pupa, which is called a chrysalis, 

 hangs naked. Perhaps the single thread around the body of some of 

 them and the silk which fastens the tail to the supporting surface rep- 

 resent the moth's cocoon. 



The distinction between adult moths and adult butterflies is large- 

 ly a matter of habits and "feelers. ' ' The antennae are a pair of append- 

 ages on an insect's head which are popularly called "feelers," although, 

 as a matter of fact, insects smell and hear with their antennae as well 

 as feel. The antennae of butterflies are thread-like and have a knob or 



