44 TENANTS OF AN OLD FARM. 



from time to time, althougli ' Bourbons " and ' old 

 fogies' are said to be exempt from the process of 

 moulting. On the other hand, there are some men who 

 have such marvelous facility at making an intellectual 

 moult, that one hardly knows where to find them on 

 great questions. 



"Our Polyphemus grub is content with five moults, 

 ten days intervening between the first four, and twenty 

 between the last two. During the intervals it resumes 

 the serious duty of life — eating." 



" How many leaves can one larva eat ? " asked Abby. 

 "It seems to me you must exaggerate its voracity, or 

 its ravages would be more noticeable. Surely, the little 

 creature within this case couldn't have been very for- 

 midable as a gourmand." 



" Have you ever ol)served one at its meals ? No ? 

 AV'ell, then, you have something yet to learn as to the 

 l)roportions of a healthy appetite. The hungry ' small 

 boy ' is hardly to be named for gastronomic practice 

 beside our Polyphemus. Mr. Trouvelot, a Massachu- 

 setts observer, has determined that a grub fifty-six 

 days old has attained 4140 times its original weight, a 

 progress in avoirdupois which implies a corresponding 

 vigor in table-fare. Or, to put it in another way, a 

 full-grown larva has consumed not less than one hun- 

 dred and twenty oak-leaves, weighing three-fourths of 

 a pound, liesides the water which it has drunk. Thus 

 the food w liicli it has taken in fifty-six d;iys equals in 

 weight eii/liti/six tliousand ibuci the primitive weight of 

 the worm ! You may imagine the destruction of leaves 



