626 C. B. HARDENBEEG. 



smoothly and accurately joined together at their sides. There 

 is one layer of these on the dorsal side and one on the ventral 

 side of the creature. These layers are only very slightly 

 convex and leave but a narrow slit-like cavity between them. 

 In this space, which is very wide but very low, the little worm 

 lies concealed. As an additional protection the dorsal covering 

 is carried a little farther forward than the ventral, so that, 

 when feeding, the larva does not need to expose itself at all. 

 A very similar arrangement we find in the case of the " Flat 

 Leaf Bagworm " (fig. 17). Here the case is made of pieces 

 of leaf, rounded off at one end and slightly concave at the 

 other, the anterior end. Two or three such pieces form each 

 side of the bag which is found attached to the tree trunks. 

 Athird species of this group, the "Seed Bagworm " (PI. XLV, 

 fig. 1), uses three narrow, pointed pieces of leaf or grass which 

 are joined side to side so as to leave a narrow cavity, shaped 

 like a three-sided pyramid. The entire structure resembles 

 in size, shape and colour a part of a grass-flower which has 

 been blown against the bi-anch or trunk, and is very difficult 

 to detect. 



All these structures are undoubtedly protective, and made 

 with the object of imitating the sm-roundings under which 

 the species originally lived. They serve primarily as a pro- 

 tection during the resting stage or pupation period ; for most, 

 if not all, pass the winter in this condition. During the 

 summer the protection offered is, in the case of most of these 

 bagworms, not so great ; but this need not be, for at that 

 time insect life is plentiful, and as the bagworm withdraws 

 into its bag at the slightest disturbance, it is doubtful whether 

 an insectivorous bird would take much trouble to secure it 

 while other food is plentiful and near at hand. In the winter 

 the conditions are different, and a greater amount of protec- 

 tion is afforded by the bag of withered leaves or dried sticks 

 which blend with the general colour scheme of the vegetation 

 at that time. In order to judge in how far the protection 

 aimed at is being secured we must look for these various bag- 

 worms in the winter, and amongst their natural surroundings 



