ni. 



DECEPTIVE DEVICES AMONG CATERPILLARS 



The life of a caterpillar is full of perils from 

 birth to maturity. Though often formidable to 

 look at, it is nevertheless soft skinned. Though it 

 may have a choice place of concealment or even a 

 well constructed nest, it must roam at large while 

 seeking food ; and there are several periods of its 

 life when, to undergo its ecdysis, it must remain 

 an entire day or even more, motionless and help- 

 less and generally quite exposed. Its main pur- 

 pose in life, next to feeding, is not to he seen. 



One of the simplest devices to escape notice is 

 that of confining all activities (which include with 

 these gluttons scarcely anything but feeding) to 

 the night-time and retiring to some conceahnent 

 during the day. This is a very common occur- 

 rence with the Satyrinae and Argynnini in partic- 

 ular, the Argynnini with their dusky clothing 

 retiring to the surface of the ground where they 

 are least liable to be seen, the satyrids remaining 



