THE PSYCHES 



found in it. The chief materials are remnants of very- 

 small stalks, light, soft, and rich in pith; next in order 

 come bits of grass-leaves, scaly twigs from the cypress- 

 tree, and all sorts of little sticks; and lastly, if the 

 favourite pieces run short, fragments of dry leaves. 



In short the Caterpillar, while preferring pithy pieces, 

 will use anything he comes across, provided it be light, 

 very dry, softened by long exposure, and of the right 

 size. All his materials are used just as they are, with- 

 out any alterations or sawings to make them the proper 

 length. He does not cut the laths that form his roof; 

 he gathers them as he finds them. His work is limited 

 to fixing them at the fore-end. 



In order to lend itself to the movements of the travel- 

 ling Caterpillar, and particularly to enable the head and 

 legs to move freely while a new piece is being fixed in 

 position, the front part of this case or sheath must be 

 made in a special way. Here a casing of sticks is no 

 longer suitable, for their length and stiffness would ham- 

 per the workman and even make his work impossible. 

 What is required here is a flexible neck, able to move in 

 all directions. The collection of stakes, therefore, ends 

 suddenly at some distance from the fore-part, and is 

 there replaced by a collar where the silk lining is merely 

 hardened with very tiny particles of wood, which 

 strengthen the material without making it less flexible. 



[91] 



