CH. XV.] THE CATERPILLAR. 261 



from the body of the leaf, it was still retained in its 

 original position by these natural cords or stays. 

 Nor does the silken lining- cover every part of the 

 inside towards the centre of the leaf; in order that 

 the coat might be detached from the leaf, it was 

 necessary that the nervures, or cables, which held it 

 in its place, should be at length cut away. The 

 cunning creature had therefore left loopholes, through 

 which it might thrust its head and cut these natural 

 cables, one after another. As each nervure was 

 cut away, the loophole which enabled the insect to 

 reach it was closed up, and the space nicely lined 

 with silk. All the others having been cut away, the 

 coat became at last suspended by one only of these 

 nervures ; at the proper time, this last nervure was 

 cut off, when the insect taking up its finished mantle 

 walked away. 



The caterpillars of the moth which feed on wool- 

 len stuffs and household furniture do not change 

 their dress, but simply enlarge it as the size in- 

 creases ; but the caterpillars of the field moth fabri- 

 cate an entirely new suit, whenever they have out- 

 grown their old covering. It is within these mantles 

 that they undergo the usual metamorphosis, and 

 reach their perfect state, when they appear in the 

 shape of moths, in size considerably inferior to those 

 which infest closets and clothes-presses. 



Each tribe of the moths fabricates its vestments 

 after a fashion peculiar to itself, and different from 

 that adopted by others. 



A moth which feeds on a species of astragalus 

 adorns its robe, as ladies used to do in other times, 

 with furbelows. The body of the habit is a cylin- 

 drical tube lined with silk, and ornamented with fur- 

 belows puffed out ; each flounce seems to mark the 

 growth of the worm ; for Reaumur conjectures, that 

 when it has outgrown the first, it adds a second di- 

 vision to its tube, and to that a third : they are rarely 

 found to have more than three flounces ; each fur- 



