192 APPLE-TREE CATERPILLAR CHERRY TREES OVERRUN BY IT. 



In almost every nest a few small worms may be seen, not half 

 the size of the others. These do not appear to be individuals 

 which have been stung by parasites, as some have supposed, for 

 I find such dwarfs in nests I have reared within doors, where it 

 is not probable any parasites had ever invaded them. They are 

 probably individuals which have been diseased, or which have 

 been less fortunate than their comrades in finding the supply of 

 food which they required. 



Sometimes also one or two very large worms may be found 

 reposing in a nest of small and more lately hatched ones. These 

 are evidently stragglers which have abandoned their own nest, 

 and in wandering about, happening to come to this nest, have 

 crowded into it to repose temporarily. The proprietors of the 

 nest make no resistance to these intruders. Nor do we ever see 

 these caterpillars show any unfriendliness towards one another. 

 When one of them is annoyed in any way, it throws its head 

 spitefully and with a sudden jerk from side to side, and when 

 menaced with danger it holds its head upwards and remains stiff 

 and rigid, or else it drops itself to the ground and there lies per- 

 fectly still, as though aware that if it moved its enemy would 

 more readily discover it. 



As the black cherry is the favorite of these insects it often 

 happens that trees of this kind which stand solitary in the fields 

 or along the fences, attract the female moths from all directions, 

 and become greatly overstocked with eggs. A hundred nests 

 may sometimes be counted upon a small tree. In such instances 

 before the caterpillars are half grown every particle of foliage 

 upon the tree is consumed and every bud is gnawed to its core. 

 The small amount of succulent matter which continues daily to 

 grow in the buds does not suffice to give a taste of food to a 

 tenth part of the ravenous multitudes. The situation of the 

 worms at such times is truly pitiable. Famishing and tormented 

 with hunger and feeling that a mouthful of sustenance must and 

 can somewhere be found to alleviate the cravings of their appe- 

 tite, each worm hurriedly crawls for the hundreth time to the 

 end of every limb and twig. The tree thus becomes carpeted 

 over and the angles of the branches become filled with the cob- 

 web-like threads which are spun in these numberless journeys. 



