4 8 
ANIMAL ACTIVITIES. 
plete metamorphosis. On the other hand, there 
emerges from the egg of the butterfly a worm-like 
animal totally unlike its parents, who, could they 
see their offspring, would doubtless disown it. This 
Fig. 48.—Some Larvae of Lepidoptera. 
larva, as we have seen, has biting mouth-parts, fit¬ 
ting it to subsist on the leaves of plants. It eats 
voraciously, consuming many times its weight of food 
during its short life, and increasing rapidly in size. It 
Fig. 49.—Some Cocoons and Chrysalids. 
moults from time to time as its skin becomes too 
small for its fast-growing body. During this period 
of its life it is usually a destructive pest. The ravages 
of many caterpillars are already too well known. 
