Natural history of animals; . artly concealed on eachside by a little feeler. They have six legs, the firstpair being short, and, in some cases, folded underthe breast; the feet end in a pair of claws. Theyoung of Butterflies and Moths are called caterpillars,and these have from ten to sixteen legs. Six of thelegs correspond to those of the Butterfly. The rest areunjointed projections of the abdomen, and are calledprolegs or proplegs. Most caterpillars feed upon theleaves of plants. Some eat buds, blossoms, seeds, androots, and others eat the solid wood. Some eat wool-ens, others furs, others
Natural history of animals; . artly concealed on eachside by a little feeler. They have six legs, the firstpair being short, and, in some cases, folded underthe breast; the feet end in a pair of claws. Theyoung of Butterflies and Moths are called caterpillars,and these have from ten to sixteen legs. Six of thelegs correspond to those of the Butterfly. The rest areunjointed projections of the abdomen, and are calledprolegs or proplegs. Most caterpillars feed upon theleaves of plants. Some eat buds, blossoms, seeds, androots, and others eat the solid wood. Some eat wool-ens, others furs, others meat, lard, wax, and kinds herd together in great numbers, and build LEPIDOPTERA: BUTTERFLIES. 153 nests in which they live, or to which they retire forshelter; others live in solitude, either in the lightand air, or sheltered in leaves folded over them, or insilken sheaths which they make; and some concealthemselves in the ground, coming forth only to the middle of the lower lip there is a little tube, from. which the caterpillar spins silken threads. Two longslender bags within the body, ending in the spinningtube, contain the material from which the silk is made : 154 ARTHROPODS: INSECTS. these correspond to the salivary glands. The silk isa sticky fluid, which hardens into a thread as soon asit comes to the air. Some caterpillars spin but littlesilk, others produce it in abundance. Caterpillars change their skins about four times incoming to their full growth as caterpillars ; and whenabout to change into the pupa or chrysalis state, theycease eating, and many of them spin around their bodya silken covering called a cocoon, others suspend them-selves by silken threads without making a cocoon, andothers enter the ground. When the caterpillar is pre-pared for the change, it bursts the skin on the back,draws out the forward part of its body, and works theskin backward until it throws it off ; and now it is achrysalis, shorter than the caterpillar, and at firs
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1895
