SARTOR IN8EOT0RUM. 415 



I never came across any of these beautiful objects, I am 

 sure." 



"Doubtless thee came across them, but never ob- 

 served them," suggested Aunt Hannah; "but that 

 was before thee had learned the value of the ' seeing 

 eye ' by Friend Mayfield's Conversations. I warrant 

 that hereafter thee will see more things in thy vaca- 

 tion jaunts than thee ever dreamed of— at least, I can 

 say as much for myself, I think." 



"1 stand corrected," returned the Schoolma'am, 

 blushing. " But," she continued, " I have learned the 

 value of a seeking tongue if not of the ' seeing eye '\ so 

 I will e'en ask, what is the purpose of this nest, and 

 how is it made ?" 



"A fair enough question," I answered ; "but I fear 

 that I must somewhat disappoint your curiosity. 

 However, I will tell you what I know about other leaf- 

 rollers, and we shall thus, perhaps, easily infer how 

 this pretty spherical nest was made. To begin with, 

 this, like all nests of leaf-rolling caterpillars, is the 

 home of a single insect. The mother moth deposits its 

 eggs separately upon the food-plant of its young, 

 appropriating a leaf to each egg. As soon as the cater- 

 pillar is hatched it begins to spread its leafy tent above 

 it, impelled thereto by the double purpose of securing 

 itself from predatory birds and assailing insects, and of 

 providing adequate food. It is not only important for 

 it to feed, but to feed in safety. 



Sometimes the little hermit commences work upon 

 the upper, sometimes upon the under surface of the 



