tHE ENTOMOLOGIST. 271 



eating: twelve or thirteen bites it took at tlie leaf to complete 

 the curve ; the last to see it at night and the earliest morning 

 visitor found it feeding, — and on nothing but beech ; the 

 largest and juiciest leaves were daily put fresh into the cage ; 

 oak was always there, but not touched. It grew rapidly, as 

 one might expect, till the head, which seeiied large out of 

 all proportion, looked but a sorry balance for its enormous 

 tail ; in fact, the posterior segments seemed almost too 

 heavy to drag about; and on one occasion Fagi assumed a 

 comical appearance by resting this imposing tail on a bed of 

 moss, while it lost no lime in eating as if for a wager. In the 

 day-time the cage was kept out of doors; and if Fagi could 

 be said to eat more greedily at one time than another, it was 

 when the wind was so high as lo blow the leaves about in the 

 cage. 



Instead of being alarmed when disturbed it either continued 

 placidly eating or else curved its tail over its back, and 

 pugnaciously threw out its long legs, as if to resent the 

 interference. A small larva of Oigyia fascelina was feeding 

 in the same cage, and happened once to be resting on a twig 

 too near to Fagi for its own comfort, for, coolly enough, Fagi 

 struck at it with one of its long legs, and sent the unlucky 

 larva to the floor of the cage. 



Fagi enjoyed life so thoroughly as a larva, it seemed as 

 though it meant to remain one all its days ; but on September 

 19th its appetite failed, and the next morning had for the first 

 time forsaken its (bod, and was sitting disconsolately on the 

 floor of its cage. It soon set about seeking a suitable winter 

 dwelling, and in its ramble (to show that its strength was in 

 no way diminished) crawled under a small saucer, tolerably 

 heavy with earth and moss. Presently it began to draw 

 together a large beech leaf and an oak by little columns 

 of white silk, and by evening the leaves were entirely closed; 

 so no more was to be seen of Fagi ; and I wait for its 

 appearance in another form next summer. 



Other larvae in spinning move their heads to and fro 

 between the two surfaces they wish to unite, carrying the 

 silk in their mouths; but Fagi scarcely moved its head at all, 

 guiding the silk from side to side by means of one of its legs. 

 The operation was an interesting one. 



Although in eating Fagi's long legs seemed almost to be 



