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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  caterpillars 
  is 
  never 
  excessive, 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  reach 
  its 
  highest 
  expres- 
  

   sion 
  at 
  this 
  time. 
  The 
  tent 
  roofs 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  restless 
  throngs, 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  individuals 
  busily 
  occupied 
  with 
  the 
  weaving 
  of 
  new 
  

   web, 
  working 
  apparently 
  in 
  desperate 
  haste 
  as 
  if 
  a 
  certain 
  task 
  had 
  

   been 
  set 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  finish 
  before 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  eat. 
  Pos- 
  

   sibly, 
  though, 
  the 
  stimulus 
  comes 
  merely 
  from 
  a 
  congestion 
  of 
  the 
  

   silk 
  reservoirs 
  in 
  their 
  bodies, 
  and 
  the 
  spinning 
  of 
  the 
  thread 
  affords 
  

   relief. 
  

  

  The 
  tent 
  caterpillar 
  does 
  not 
  weave 
  its 
  web 
  in 
  regular 
  loops 
  of 
  

   thread 
  laid 
  on 
  by 
  a 
  methodical 
  swinging 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  

   side, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  most 
  caterpillars. 
  It 
  bends 
  the 
  entire 
  

   body 
  to 
  one 
  side, 
  attaches 
  the 
  thread 
  as 
  far 
  back 
  as 
  it 
  can 
  reach, 
  then 
  

   runs 
  forward 
  a 
  few 
  paces 
  and 
  repeats 
  the 
  movement, 
  sometimes 
  on 
  

   the 
  same 
  side, 
  sometimes 
  on 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   thread 
  is 
  carried, 
  however, 
  is 
  a 
  haphazard 
  one, 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  ob- 
  

   struction 
  the 
  spinner 
  meets 
  from 
  others 
  working 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  man- 
  

   ner. 
  

  

  But 
  amongst 
  the 
  crowd 
  of 
  weavers 
  there 
  are 
  always 
  some 
  that 
  are 
  

   not 
  working, 
  though 
  they 
  are 
  just 
  as 
  active. 
  These 
  are 
  running 
  back 
  

   and 
  forth 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  like 
  boarders 
  impatiently 
  

   waiting 
  the 
  sound 
  of 
  the 
  dinner 
  bell. 
  Perhaps 
  they 
  are 
  individuals 
  

   that 
  have 
  finished 
  their 
  work 
  by 
  exhausting 
  their 
  supply 
  of 
  silk. 
  

  

  At 
  last 
  the 
  signal 
  for 
  dinner 
  is 
  sounded. 
  It 
  is 
  heard 
  by 
  the 
  cater- 
  

   pillar, 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  audible 
  to 
  an 
  outsider. 
  A 
  few 
  respond 
  at 
  first 
  

   and 
  start 
  off 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  branches 
  leading 
  from 
  the 
  tent. 
  Others 
  

   follow, 
  and 
  presently 
  a 
  column 
  is 
  marching 
  outward, 
  usually 
  keep- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  well-marked 
  paths 
  of 
  silk 
  till 
  the 
  distant 
  branches 
  are 
  

   reached. 
  Here 
  the 
  line 
  breaks 
  up 
  into 
  several 
  sections 
  which 
  spread 
  

   out 
  over 
  the 
  foliage. 
  The 
  tent 
  is 
  soon 
  deserted. 
  For 
  one, 
  two, 
  or 
  

   three 
  hours 
  the 
  repast 
  continues, 
  the 
  diners 
  often 
  returning 
  home 
  late 
  

   at 
  night. 
  Observations 
  indicate 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  regular 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  

   tent 
  caterpillar 
  in 
  its 
  earlier 
  stages, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  sixth 
  or 
  

   last 
  stage 
  of 
  its 
  life. 
  The 
  writer 
  noted 
  entire 
  colonies 
  back 
  in 
  the 
  tent 
  

   for 
  the 
  night 
  in 
  at 
  least 
  nine 
  instances 
  at 
  hours 
  ranging 
  from 
  9 
  to 
  11 
  

   p. 
  m. 
  In 
  other 
  cases 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  crowd 
  was 
  still 
  feeding 
  when 
  last 
  

   observed; 
  but 
  daylight-saving 
  time 
  was 
  then 
  in 
  vogue 
  and 
  11 
  o'clock 
  

   was 
  doing 
  duty 
  for 
  midnight. 
  The 
  observations 
  are 
  recorded 
  in 
  

   standard 
  time. 
  

  

  In 
  describing 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  community 
  of 
  insects 
  it 
  is 
  seldom 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  to 
  make 
  general 
  statements 
  that 
  will 
  apply 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  indi- 
  

   viduals. 
  The 
  best 
  that 
  a 
  writer 
  can 
  do 
  is 
  to 
  say 
  what 
  he 
  sees 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  insects 
  do, 
  for, 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  communities, 
  there 
  are 
  always 
  those 
  

   eccentric 
  members 
  who 
  will 
  not 
  conform 
  with 
  the 
  customs 
  of 
  the 
  

   majority. 
  Occasionally 
  a 
  solitary 
  tent 
  caterpillar 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  feed- 
  

  

  