THE GOLDEN GARDENER 109 



by its good fortune should it by any chance encounter 

 them. 



The furry nature of the victim does not in the least 

 incommode the beetle ; but the hairiest of all our cater- 

 pillars, the Hedgehog Caterpillar, with its undulating 

 mane, partly red and partly black, does seem to be too 

 much for the beetle. Day after day it wanders about 

 the vivarium in company with the assassins. The latter 

 apparently ignore its presence. From time to time one of 

 them will halt, stroll round the hairy creature, examine 

 it, and try to penetrate the tangled fleece. Immediately 

 repulsed by the long, dense palisade of hairs, he retires 

 without inflicling a wound, and the caterpillar proceeds 

 upon its way with undulating mane, in pride and security. 



But this state of things cannot last. In a hungry 

 moment, emboldened moreover by the presence of his 

 fellows, the cowardly creature decides upon a serious 

 attack. There are four of them ; they industriously 

 attack the caterpillar, which finally succumbs, assaulted 

 before and behind. It is eviscerated and swallowed as 

 greedily as though it were a defenceless grub. 



According to the hazard of discovery, I provision my 

 menagerie with various caterpillars, some smooth and 

 others hairy. All are accepted with the utmost eagerness, 

 so long as they are of average size as compared with the 

 beetles themselves. If too small they are despised, as 

 they would not yield a sufficient mouthful. If they are 

 too large the beetle is unable to handle them. The 

 caterpillars of the Sphinx moth and the Great Peacock 

 moth, for example, would fall an easy prey to the beetle, 

 were it not that at the first bite of the assailant the intended 

 victim, by a contortion of its powerful flanks, sends the 



