164 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP. 
Many of the geometers do not fasten the leaves 
together, trusting to other means for concealment, 
but the commonest of all, at least in my garden, 
does do this. There are a great many species, but 
the habits and general appearance are much alike. 
They fasten the leaves together and hide between 
them and feed on the leaves, but always work 
towards the top of the shoot, and will attack the 
bud as soon as it is formed. It will be noticed that 
the caterpillar, if hatched as usual on the point of 
the growing shoot, keeps hold by a silken thread 
of each leaf as it unfolds, and is able at any time to 
leave its hiding place for a new one in a leaf spray 
higher up, and thus gradually to mount towards the 
bud. 
By this means it also sometimes escapes; the dis- 
tortion of the leaf spray it has just left is very 
conspicuous, but its new abode is most cleverly con- 
cealed, looking quite natural except that two leaves 
happen to touch back to back. A novice on un- 
rolling the curled leaves would often come to the 
conclusion that the insect had escaped or been 
taken by a bird, but the experienced eye will always 
look upwards to the next leaf spray, and the ex- 
perienced finger will always go there first, and not 
waste time on the decoy beneath. These caterpillars 
are often very abundant from the end of April to 
the beginning of June, and as they grow very fast 
they cannot be looked for too frequently. 
Other geometer larvee do not hide themselves or 
spin the leaves together, but trust to their colours 
and attitudes for concealment. A dark brown one 
(Phygalia) simulates the appearance of a dead stick, 
and another, of a lighter brown with a yellow 
