﻿TENT 
  CATERPILLAR 
  — 
  StfODGRASS. 
  

  

  333 
  

  

  ways 
  insured 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  a 
  family 
  reunion 
  whenever 
  this 
  should 
  

   be 
  desired. 
  

  

  One 
  morning, 
  the 
  27th, 
  one 
  family 
  had 
  gathered 
  in 
  its 
  scattered 
  

   members 
  and 
  these 
  had 
  already 
  spun 
  a 
  little 
  tentlike 
  web 
  in 
  the 
  

   crotch 
  between 
  the 
  main 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  supporting 
  twig 
  and 
  two 
  small 
  

   branches 
  (fig. 
  3). 
  Some 
  were 
  crawling 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  tent, 
  

   others 
  were 
  resting 
  within, 
  still 
  others 
  were 
  traveling 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  

   on 
  the 
  silk 
  trails 
  leading 
  outward 
  on 
  the 
  branches, 
  and 
  the 
  rest 
  were 
  

   massed 
  about 
  the 
  buds 
  devouring 
  the 
  young 
  leaves. 
  The 
  establish- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  marks 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  caterpillars' 
  

   lives; 
  it 
  entails 
  responsibilities 
  that 
  demand 
  a 
  fixed 
  course 
  of 
  daily 
  

   living. 
  In 
  the 
  lives 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  caterpillars 
  this 
  point 
  is 
  what 
  the 
  

   beginning 
  of 
  school 
  days 
  is 
  to 
  us 
  — 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  irresponsible 
  freedom 
  

   and 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  subjugation 
  

   to 
  conventional 
  routine. 
  

  

  Every 
  tent 
  caterpillar 
  family 
  

   that 
  survives 
  infancy 
  eventually 
  

   reaches 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  it 
  begins 
  

   the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  tent, 
  but 
  the 
  

   early 
  days 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  spent 
  

   alike, 
  even 
  under 
  similar 
  circum- 
  

   stances, 
  nor 
  is 
  the 
  tent 
  always 
  

   begun 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner. 
  

  

  At 
  Wallingford, 
  Conn., 
  where 
  

   the 
  season 
  for 
  both 
  plants 
  and 
  in- 
  

   sects 
  is 
  much 
  later 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  lati- 
  

   tude 
  of 
  Washington, 
  three 
  broods 
  

   of 
  tent 
  caterpillars 
  were 
  found 
  Fl 
  fl 
  G 
  Q 
  - 
  

   hatching 
  on 
  April 
  8 
  of 
  this 
  same 
  

   year. 
  These 
  also 
  met 
  with 
  dull 
  and 
  chilly 
  weather 
  that 
  kept 
  them 
  

   huddled 
  on 
  their 
  egg 
  coverings 
  for 
  several 
  days. 
  After 
  four 
  days 
  the 
  

   temperature 
  moderated 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  to 
  move 
  

   about 
  a 
  little 
  on 
  the 
  twigs, 
  but 
  none 
  were 
  seen 
  feeding 
  till 
  the 
  14th 
  — 
  

   six 
  days 
  after 
  the 
  hatching. 
  Yet 
  they 
  had 
  increased 
  in 
  size 
  to 
  about 
  

   one-eighth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length. 
  

  

  Wherever 
  these 
  caterpillars 
  camped 
  in 
  their 
  wanderings 
  over 
  the 
  

   small 
  apple 
  trees 
  they 
  inhabited 
  they 
  spun 
  a 
  carpet 
  of 
  silk 
  to 
  rest 
  

   upon, 
  and 
  there 
  the 
  whole 
  family 
  collected 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  crowded 
  mass 
  

   that 
  it 
  looked 
  like 
  a 
  round, 
  furry 
  mat 
  (fig. 
  4). 
  The 
  carpets 
  afforded 
  

   the 
  sleepers 
  a 
  much 
  safer 
  bed 
  than 
  the 
  bare, 
  wet 
  bark 
  of 
  the 
  tree, 
  

   for 
  if 
  the 
  sleepers 
  should 
  become 
  stupefied 
  by 
  cold 
  the 
  claws 
  of 
  their 
  

   feet 
  would 
  mechanically 
  hold 
  them 
  fast 
  to 
  the 
  silk 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  

   of 
  their 
  helplessness. 
  The 
  test 
  came 
  on 
  the 
  16th 
  and 
  the 
  night 
  fol- 
  

  

  -Young 
  caterpillars 
  matted 
  on 
  a 
  

   flat 
  sheet 
  of 
  web 
  (about 
  natural 
  size). 
  

  

  