THE TRIBE OF THE SOVEREIGNS 201 



end, leaving little else but the midrib. Finally it rolls the 

 remaining part of the blade of the leaf into a cylinder, 

 sewing the edges together with silk. The basal portion 

 of the cylinder is of course tapered to a point as the edges 

 of the leaf are nearly drawn together, not overlapped; and 

 invariably the lower side of the leaf forms the outside of 

 the house so as to have the projecting midrib out of the 

 way of the larva as it reposes snugly on the inside. The 

 whole, when finished, has somewhat the appearance of the 

 leaf of a miniature pitcher-plant (Sarracenia), its length 

 being .50-. 65 inch, and its diameter .11-. 14 inch. 



"These curious Uttle cases may be commonly found 

 upon our wiUows and poplars in the winter time. I have 

 examined hundreds of them and although they are in- 

 variably built upon this plan, they vary greatly in the 

 degree of perfection which the architect attained; and 

 this is especially the case where they have been built in 

 confinement. The blade on the tip piece is sometimes 

 gnawed off right down to the rib; at others it is left almost 

 as broad as the tube. Sometimes it is bent over the ori- 

 fice; at others not. They are also much more irregular and 

 ungainly when made with broad leaves, such as those of 

 the silver poplar, than when made from the more narrow 

 leaves of the willow tree. These autumnal larvae have 

 also another peculiar habit: they exhibit a tendency to 

 build from the time they are hatched and will always eat 

 the leaves from the side, gnawing large holes and cutting 

 along the sides of the midrib. They commence at the 

 tip, and as they work downward toward the base, they 

 collect the debris into a little bunch which they fasten with 

 silk to the midrib. When the hibernaculum is finished the 

 seam is perfectly smooth and the hole inside is lined with 



