. Under the open sky; being a year with nature. Natural history. JANUARY 271 AN UNDERGROUND TRANSFORMATION But internally a most profound change is at work. The little, nearly blind eyes are developing into a magnificent set, adapted for near and distant vision. The leaf-eat- ing jaws are changing into a long, slender tongue and a digestive apparatus for hand- ling nothing less ethereal than the nectar of flowers. The short, clumsy legs are be- coming long, slender and delicate, and, best of all, four splendid wings are growing out from the shoulders. But all of this wonder- ful change is stil
. Under the open sky; being a year with nature. Natural history. JANUARY 271 AN UNDERGROUND TRANSFORMATION But internally a most profound change is at work. The little, nearly blind eyes are developing into a magnificent set, adapted for near and distant vision. The leaf-eat- ing jaws are changing into a long, slender tongue and a digestive apparatus for hand- ling nothing less ethereal than the nectar of flowers. The short, clumsy legs are be- coming long, slender and delicate, and, best of all, four splendid wings are growing out from the shoulders. But all of this wonder- ful change is still concealed inside the dull, brown skin. By the time spring comes the animal that had gone into the earth a long, ugly, half-blind, wholly gross larva, once more, and now for the last time, splits its skin and emerges from the brown case a beautiful creature. THE FINAL PRODUCT Have you ever noticed what seemed to you a humming-bird hovering in the twi- light before your moon-flowers and trum- pet-vines or petunias ? Humming-birds life. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Schmucker, Samuel Christian, b. 1860. Philadelphia and London, J. B. Lippincott Company
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booky
