28o The hish Naturalist, 



most) segments of the abdomen. But in the ''looping" 

 caterpillars, only the pro-legs of the seventh and tenth abdo- 

 minal segments are evidently present ; the three foremost 

 pairs are wanting. These caterpillars, therefore, have six 

 legs just behind the head, and four legs at the tail, the inter- 

 mediate part of the body being limbless. Hence their peculiar, 

 looping style of walking. The claspers are brought close up 

 to the legs, the insect bending its body into a loop ; then the 

 legs are disengaged, and attached at a point in advance, the 

 body being straightened out (PI. 7, fig. 2). Then, by another 

 loop, the claspers are again brought up. This process can be 

 watched by anyone, in an insect only too common in our 

 gardens — the black and yellow caterpillar of the Magpie Moth 

 (Abraxas grossulariataj, which often devastates gooseberry 

 and currant bushes. 



But the protective resemblance of the looping caterpillars 

 to their surroundings is to be seen when they are at rest. 

 Holding on to the stalk of its food-plant with its claspers, 

 such a caterpillar often stretches its body out, straight and 

 rigid, so that it looks exactly like a twig (PI. 7, fig. i). It is 

 not surprising, therefore, to hear that the lady (Miss Stewart- 

 Moore, of Ballylough, Co. Antrim), to whom we are indebted 

 for the specimen figured on PI. 7, " catching hold of what she 

 took to be the end of the branch, was surprised to find it soft." 

 This particular kind of caterpillar is by no means uncommon, 

 but its remarkable likeness to its surroundings must often 

 cause it to escape observation. The moth to which it belongs 

 is called Odontopera bidentata, or the " Scalloped Hazel," a 

 greyish brown insect with deeply dentated wings. 



This caterpillar was kept for awhile alive under observation. 

 When disturbed or touched, it would immediately stretch out 

 its body in the attitude shown in fig. i, and remain for a con- 

 siderable time quite still and rigid. This position must entail 

 a considerable strain upon the muscles, and seems to be rather 

 ironically called "resting," but immobility is, of course, neces- 

 sary to the success of the resemblance. The legs, which, if 

 prominent, might betray it to a hungry bird, are pressed close 

 to the underside of the body, and so concealed. This habit, 

 and the wonderful resemblance to which it leads, have long 

 been noted by naturalists. Drawings of various looping cater- 

 pillars in this resting attitude may be seen in Prof. Poulton's 



