IN FEATHERS AND FUR, 
153 
skin. Here he is again, you see, Then he twists 
and pulls, and draws himself completely out of the 
black coat, and hangs his new white body to the 
same network. In these tw r o figures you see him 
getting out. Naturally, he don't want his old black, 
worn-out suit hanging there by his side, so he pro- 
ceeds to get it off. You know it is firmly hooked 
on. 
Well, the curious little fellow seizes it, and 
gives himself a jerk that spins him around like a 
top, — usually the skin is twisted off at once. But 
if it is obstinate, the plucky little fellow tries again, turning the 
other way. When it is broken off, he lets it 
drop, and then settles himself for his change. 
You've seen the pretty little white But- 
terfly, so common in Summer. You country 
children know it as the Cabbage Butterfly. 
This builder makes his house in a different 
way. First, he hangs himself to a branch in 
some such way as his black relative did. But 
he don't consider that safe enough, so he ties 
himself on to the branch by cords passed over 
his body. In Fig. i, on next page, you will see 
him in the very act. He can turn his head over 
his back, doubling himself up, so he leans over, 
fastening a thread to the twig on one side, 
then moves his head over and fastens it the other side, and so on, till 
he feels safe, when he is tied in like a squaw's baby to a board. 
Some of the little builders make their houses of the silk 
threads they can spin. You have heard of the silkworm, that 
makes a house so valuable to weave into silk for our use, that it is 
cultivated for that purpose. You will see it on next page, Fig 2. 
This is the house of a Japanese silkworm. 
Another little fellow, not satisfied with a simple silk tent, orna- 
ments it with hairs, which stand out all around, making it look like 
a ball of fur. Perhaps you wonder w T here he gets the hair ; but 
nothing is easier ; it grows on his own back. He deliberately 
takes the tufts of hair in his teeth, and pulls them out, planting 
them in the house he is building, and fastening them by threads. 
When finished, he hasn't a hair to his back ; but he don't care 
