Part 16

The boys counted all the groups of eggs, and found that there were eight eggs in some, nine in others, but that most of them contained ten or more.

“Now, how many egg patches are there?” asked Uncle George.

“There are seven patches on my leaf,” said Frank.

“And ten on mine,” added Tom.

“That is about one hundred and fifty eggs altogether,” said Uncle George.

“Has each of these bunches of eggs been laid by one butterfly?” asked Frank.

“It is more than probable that one butterfly laid the whole lot,” his uncle replied; “for the white butterfly lays, as a rule, over two hundred eggs.”

“That is about as many eggs as a hen lays in a year,” said Frank.

“Yes,” said Uncle George, “a good hen and a white butterfly lay about the same number of eggs in a year; but the butterfly lays all her eggs in one day.

“After laying her eggs, she dies. That is perhaps why she always lays them on the kind of plant which the young caterpillars can feed upon when they hatch out.

“Let us look at the caterpillars now. We need not take them out, as we can easily see them through the glass side of the cage.

“Notice that the body of the cabbage caterpillar consists of a round, dark coloured head and a number of broad, ring-like divisions. How many of these divisions are there?”

“Twelve,” said Frank, after counting carefully.

“Right!” said his uncle. “Now, about legs—how many are there?”

“There are three pairs of legs on the first three divisions of its body, and a pair of shorter and stouter legs on each of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth divisions, making seven pairs of legs altogether,” Frank answered.

“That is quite correct, Frank, and I am glad you noticed the difference between the first three pairs and the others. The first three pairs are the creature’s real legs. The others are false or temporary legs.”

“There is a row of black spots on the yellow band along its side,” observed Tom.

“These are its breathing-holes, Tom. We breathe by our lungs only, but caterpillars and insects have breathing-tubes all over their bodies.”

“The woolly bear and the cabbage caterpillar move about in the same way,” said Frank. “But look at those currant caterpillars, Uncle George, what a funny way they have of getting along!”

“These belong to a kind of caterpillars known as ‘loopers,’” said his uncle. “They move about by looping up their bodies in this strange manner.”

“I do not like to handle those hairy caterpillars,” Tom remarked. “Why are they covered with those nasty long hairs?”

“You have just given the reason, Tom. You don’t like to touch them on account of these hairs; neither do animals. No bird will eat one of these. If he does, he will never eat another.

“Notice how they coil up like a hedgehog when they are touched. This makes them more difficult to swallow. Just imagine how a bird would feel with one of these ticklish customers stuck in his throat, eh?

“Now, boys, make a sketch of one of the tiny eggs, also one of the big cabbage caterpillar, and then we will go out and have a game of cricket on the lawn.”

Exercises on Lesson XII.

1. Where would you look for the eggs of the white butterfly? Why are they always laid upon the same kind of plant, and why under the leaf? 2. Explain how caterpillars breathe. 3. Take any caterpillars you find. Observe the leaves you find them feeding upon. Give them fresh leaves every day, and watch how they grow. 4. Why has the “woolly bear” caterpillar got a hairy coat? What does he usually feed upon?

XIII.—THE WHITE BUTTERFLY.

Uncle George had to go from home for a week, and his two nephews went part of the way to the railway station with him.