30 
FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
“Then what is a worm?” asked Fred. 
“A fishworm or earthworm is a real worm,” answered 
Uncle Jack. 
“But I want to know more about my caterpillar,” ex¬ 
claimed Marylee. 
Uncle Jack smiled and said, “All right, what do you 
want to know first?” 
“I want to know if that big horn on its tail has poison 
in it. I am afraid of it.” 
“Many people are afraid of the horn,” said Uncle 
Jack. “But there is no poison in it. This caterpillar can¬ 
not hurt you. Touch the horn with your finger.” 
Marylee obeyed. The horn was hard, but it was not 
sharp. It did not hurt. 
“What are these funny spots on the sides of the cater¬ 
pillar?” asked Buddy. 
“Those are little holes,” said Uncle Jack. “The cater¬ 
pillar does not breathe through a nose the way we do, 
but it gets air through those holes.” 
“Does it have ribs?” asked Marylee. 
“No, it doesn’t have ribs nor any bones,” answered 
Uncle Jack. “Insects do not have anything like bones 
inside their bodies. The caterpillars have hard skins and 
muscles to hold their bodies in shape. When they grow 
too big for their old skins, they throw them off and get 
new ones.” 
“Why do they do that?” asked Marylee. 
“The skin of the caterpillar does not grow any more 
than Buddy’s trousers grow,” replied Uncle Jack. “When 
