192 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



wool or fur close by the thread of the cloth, or by the skin, 

 with its teeth, which act in the manner of scissors, into con- 

 venient lengths, and applies the bits, one by one, with gi'eat 

 dexterity, to the outside of its silken case."* This statement, 

 however, is erroneous, and inconsistent with the proceed- 

 ings not only of the clothes -moth, bnt of every caterpillar 

 that constructs a covering. None of these build from within 

 outwards, but uniformly commence with the exterior wall, 

 and finish by lining the interior with the finest materials. 

 Eeaumur, however, found that the newly-hatched caterpil- 

 lars lived at first in a case of silk. 



We have repeatedly witnessed the proceedings of these 

 insects from the very foundation of their structures ; aiKl, 

 at the moment of writing this, we turned out one from the 

 carcase of an " old lady moth" (^Mormo maura^ Ochsenheim) 

 in our cabinet, and placed it on a desk covered with green 

 cloth, where it might find materials for constructing 

 another dwelling. It wandered about for half a day before 

 it began its operations ; but it did not, as is asserted by 

 Bonnet, and Kirby and Spence, "in moving from place to 

 place, seem to be as much incommoded by the long hairs 

 which surround it, as we are by walking amongst high 

 grass," nor, " accordingly, marching scythe in hand," did 

 it, " with its teeth, cut out a smooth road." f On the 

 contrary, it did not cut a single hair till it selected one 

 for the foundation of its intended structure. This is cut 

 very near the cloth, in order, we suppose, to have it as long 

 as possible ; and placed it on a line with its body. It then 

 immediately cut another, and placing it parallel to the 

 first, bound both together with a few threads of its own 

 silk. The same process was repeated with other hairs, 

 till the little creature had made a fabric of some thickness, 

 and this it went on to extend till it was large enough 

 to cover its body ; which (as is usual with caterpillars) it 

 employed as a model and measure for regulating its opera- 

 tions. Wq remarked that it made choice of longer hairs 



* 'Animal Biography,' vol. iii, p. 330, Third Edition, 

 t Bonnet, xi. p. 204 ; Kirby and Spence, ' Introduction,' i. 464, 

 Fifth Edition. 



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