DECEPTIVE DEVICES 39 



perhaps upon the stems or blades of grass or sedge 

 which form their food and among which they are 

 concealed by their striped attire. Or the retire- 

 ment may be to the under surface of a leaf, a very 

 common practice, which is exemplified in our own 

 fauna by the habit, among others, of such diverse 

 butterflies as our Green Comma (Polygonia 

 f annus). Buckeye (Junonia coenia), and the Blue 

 Swallow-tail (Laertias philenor). 



A very common mode of concealment, however, 

 is the construction of a special nest for the pur- 

 pose, within which they remain at all times when 

 not feeding, and oftentimes even the greater part 

 of their entire lives, feeding as they may do upon 

 the nest itself until they have eaten themselves out 

 of house and home. A good instance of this last 

 propensity is found among the species of Vanessa, 

 all of which construct more or less open nests, but 

 devour the contents and the structure itself of the 

 same. Others forming open nests are some of the 

 species of Polygonia, while more complete web- 

 concealments are made by the caterpillars of the 

 American Tortoise - shell (Aglais milberti) and 

 some of the Melitaeini. The mere partial curling 

 of a leaf so as to conceal the sides of the creature 

 lying thereon answers the purpose of the Tiger 



