All day long it was nibbling the green leaves, and leaf after leaf
disappeared before it with wonderful rapidity. It seemed to live only
for eating.
As autumn came on, it quite lost its appetite; so much so, that even the
tenderest and most juicy leaves could not tempt it to eat any more. It
grew dull and stiff, and lost all interest in life.
Feeling that some change was about to happen, it crawled into a little
hole in the old garden wall. It wrapped itself up in a cobweb, and fell
into a long sleep, during which it became changed from a caterpillar
into a dried-up, dead-looking grub or chrysalis.
It remained in this state through all the long winter, till the snow and
frost had gone, and the cold March winds were over.
In April the trees burst forth with their bright green leaves, and the
grass looked fresh under the power of the warm rains.
In May the many-tinted flowers appeared, filling the air with their
sweetness, and brightening the fields and gardens with their gay colors.
At this time another great change came over the old grub. It showed
signs of life again; but it was now no longer a caterpillar--it was
something else.
Pages:
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228