San Juan Record | 1934-04-19 | Page 7 | Nature Has Qualified Butterfly as Chemist

nature has qualified butterfly as chemist in a report to the smithsonian institution ution dr austin IL dark clark marvels and with reason at the curious adaptability of the cabbage butterfly a small email chalky insect with white wings in europe the caterpillars teed feed on the leaves of cabbages and closely related plants why t these hese because they contain food fond of the proper chemical composition for t the he young and the young are bred from eggs laid on the leaves about the middle of the last century the cabbage butterfly was brought to tills this country it began to lay jay eggs not only on cabbage but also on the leaves of the garden nasturtium which originally came from central and south america how did the butterfly know that the nasturtium Is chemically of 0 the rig right lit composition although it Is not even remotely related to the cab cabbage b age the european Hur ancestors of the cabbage butterfly knew nothing of the nasturtium for thousands of generations the wonder grows when doctor dark clark points out uncanny uncanny powers in other insects two varieties of live entirely on the hackberry tree if they make a mistake in tho th tree the young starve to death now york times