Fig. 6. Cabbage Butterfly—female. 
Natural size. 
The cabbage butterfly measures two inches across the 
wings when fully extended. These wings are dull white in 
color, sometimes tinged with yellow, especially in the fe¬ 
males. There are two pairs of 
wings. The tips of the fore¬ 
wings are black, and in the fe¬ 
male there are two black spots 
on each fore-wing, in the male 
only one black spot, located 
about the center or near the 
center of the wing. This is 
an easy distinguishing mark of 
the sexes in this butterfly. There is also a black spot on 
the forward edge of each of the second pair of wings. 
Having observed the whereabouts of these butterflies, 
and knowing that their food is gathered from flowers without 
destroying the blossoms, it perhaps is not clear why this in¬ 
sect should be looked upon as the most injurious to the 
farmer or to the gardener, but we must know more of its life 
history before the reason is clear to us. 
The fact was mentioned in former lessons that insects have 
usually four distinct stages in their life, and appear very dif¬ 
ferent in each of them. These four stages, you will recall, 
are : the egg, the larva, the pupa, and the imago or adult. 
These four stages are very well marked in the case of the 
insect we are studying, and it is possible, by a little careful 
search, for anyone to collect all four of these stages during the 
summer months. The eggs are small, yellow, elliptical bodies, 
which are laid on any suitable plants, as old cabbage stumps, 
wild radish, mustard and cress, early in the season. Later 
on we may find them upon the 
young cabbage plants, where 
the best food for the subse¬ 
quent larvae may be directly 
obtained. The eggs are de¬ 
posited singly, or in twos or 
threes, on the outer surface of 
leaves. They stand upright 
upon the leaf. Each female 
butterfly lays from ioo to 300 eggs in the course of its ex¬ 
istence,. which, as already indicated, is about three weeks.; 
Fig. 7. Cabbage Butterfly—male. 
Natural size. 
3 
