PUSS-MOTH. 



169 



raent ; these were intended for the skeleton or frame-work 

 of the building. When this outline was finished, the next 

 step was to strengthen each thread of silk by adding 



Kudlments of the Cell of the Puss- Moth. 



several (sometimes six or eight) parallel ones, -all of which 

 were then glued together into a single thread, by the insect 

 running its mandibles, charged with gluten, along the line. 

 The meshes, or spaces, which were thus widened by the 

 compression of the parallel threads, were immediately 

 filled up with fresh threads, till at length only very small 

 spaces were left. It was in this stage of the operation that 

 the paper came into requisition, small portions of it being 

 gnawed ofi" the box and glued into the meshes. It was not, 

 however, into the meshes only that the bits of paper were 

 inserted; for the whole fabric was in the end thickly 

 studded over with them. In about half a day from the 

 first thread of the frame -work being spun the building was 

 completed. It was at first, however, rather soft, and 

 yielded to slight pressure with the finger ; but as soon as 

 it became thoroughly dry, it was so hard that it could with 

 difficulty be penetrated with the point of a penknife. 

 (J. R.) 



Cell built by the Larva of the Puss-Moth. 



A question will here suggest itself to the curious in- 

 quirer, how the moth, which is not, like the caterpillar, 

 furnished with mandibles for gnawing, can find its way 



