260 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



[CH. XV. 



viously joined by the hand of nature, and then pro- 

 ceeded in its subsequent operations, just as if it had 

 experienced no interruption. It will be easily per- 

 ceived that the proceeding's of a caterpillar, which 

 makes its coat on the edge of a leaf, must differ in 

 many points from those of another worm, which 

 fabricates it in the centre : the latter may cut away 

 as boldly as it pleases ; there is no danger of a fall, 

 since the inequalities of the edges are found to re- 

 tain the pieces in their original position: if the 

 former, however, were to proceed in the same manner, 

 and separate the side of its coat nearest the centre 

 of the leaf, before it had been thoroughly finished, 

 the whole would necessarily fall to the ground for 

 want of support. Accordingly, as soon as the cun- 

 ning tailor had repaired the damage which its coat 



had sustained from the scissors of the naturalist, it 

 mined a space sufficiently large for the purpose ; this 

 part was then rounded, made hollow, and carefully 

 lined with silk ; and it was not until all this had been 

 completed, that the insect began to cut its mantle 

 on the side which was nearest the centre of the leaf. 

 In the execution of this part of the operation much 

 caution was evinced. The caterpillar did not cut 

 continuously from one end to the other ; it only cut 

 the intervals which lay between the large nervures 

 of the leaf; so that although a considerable propor- 

 tion of the whole length of the coat was separated 



