THE BUTTERFLY. 



181 



all off shows all its veins or ribs, and is covered by 

 a thin membrane all marked with little spots, where 

 the scales were fastened (Fig. 151). In some butterflies 

 the under sides of the wings look exactly like dried 

 leaves, while the upper sides are gorgeously colored. 

 When such a butterfly is chased, he drops down and 

 folds back his wings, and so his pursuer misses him, 

 thinking him a withered leaf. The internal parts of the 

 butterfly are very much like those of the caterpillar. 

 As he has no more use for the spinning-bags, they all 

 dry up, leaving nothing but little fine threads in their 

 places. The butterfly's life is very short ; it lives only 

 long enough to lay its eggs, and it never sees its dear 

 little caterpillar-babies. But it appears to make the 

 best of every thing, and looks so very bright and happy 

 that some people envy its care-free life. A great many 

 poets have written songs about it ; there is one very 

 pretty one : 



"I'd be a butterfly, 

 Born in a bower." . 



But I have no doubt you would rather be boys and 

 girls than butterflies. We have now traced the resem- 

 blance between the caterpillar and the butterfly. By 

 taking off the caterpillar's mask, the great woolly skin, 

 and looking carefully at his body, we found nearly all 

 the parts of the future imago ; and we have found, too, 



