﻿340 
  

  

  ANNUAL, 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  morning 
  three 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  trees 
  containing 
  the 
  colonies 
  

   were 
  festooned 
  with 
  water-soaked 
  caterpillars, 
  all 
  hanging 
  motion- 
  

   less 
  from 
  leaves, 
  petioles, 
  and 
  twigs, 
  benumbed 
  with 
  exposure 
  and 
  

   incapable 
  of 
  action 
  — 
  more 
  miserable-looking 
  insects 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  

   imagined. 
  No 
  instinct 
  of 
  protection, 
  apparently, 
  had 
  prevailed 
  over 
  

   their 
  appetites, 
  till, 
  at 
  last, 
  overcome 
  by 
  wet 
  and 
  cold, 
  they 
  were 
  

   saved 
  only 
  by 
  some 
  impulse 
  that 
  led 
  them 
  to 
  grasp 
  the 
  support 
  so 
  

  

  firmly 
  with 
  the 
  abdominal 
  

   feet 
  that 
  they 
  hung 
  there 
  

   mechanically 
  when 
  senses 
  

   and 
  power 
  of 
  movement 
  

   were 
  gone. 
  Some 
  hung 
  by 
  

   the 
  hindmost 
  pair 
  of 
  feet 
  

   only, 
  others 
  grasped 
  the 
  

   support 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  ab- 
  

   dominal- 
  feet. 
  One 
  colony 
  

   and 
  most 
  of 
  another 
  were 
  

   safely 
  housed 
  in 
  their 
  

   tents. 
  These 
  had 
  evi- 
  

   d 
  e 
  n 
  1 
  1 
  y 
  retreated 
  before 
  

   helplessness 
  overtook 
  them. 
  

   By 
  8 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  morn- 
  

   ing 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  suspended 
  

   caterpillars 
  were 
  suffi- 
  

   ciently 
  revived 
  to 
  resume 
  

   activity. 
  Some 
  fed 
  a 
  little, 
  

   others 
  crawled 
  feebly 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  tents. 
  By 
  9.45 
  

   most 
  were 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  

   home, 
  and 
  at 
  10.45 
  all 
  were 
  

   under 
  shelter. 
  

  

  Gentle 
  rains 
  fell 
  during 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  day, 
  but 
  the 
  

   temperature 
  gradually 
  rose 
  

   to 
  a 
  maximum 
  of 
  65°. 
  

   Only 
  a 
  few 
  caterpillars 
  

   from 
  the 
  youngest 
  colony 
  came 
  out 
  to 
  feed 
  at 
  noon. 
  In 
  the 
  evening 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  hard, 
  drenching 
  rain, 
  after 
  which 
  several 
  caterpillars 
  from 
  

   two 
  of 
  the 
  tents 
  appeared 
  for 
  dinner. 
  The 
  next 
  morning, 
  the 
  19th, 
  the 
  

   temperature 
  dropped 
  to 
  49°, 
  light 
  rains 
  continued, 
  and 
  not 
  a 
  cater- 
  

   pillar 
  from 
  any 
  colony 
  ventured 
  out 
  for 
  breakfast. 
  It 
  looked 
  as 
  if 
  

   they 
  had 
  learned 
  their 
  lesson, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  probable 
  they 
  were 
  

   simply 
  too 
  cold 
  and 
  stiff 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  tents. 
  In 
  the 
  afternoon 
  the 
  sky 
  

   cleared, 
  the 
  temperature 
  rose, 
  and 
  the 
  colonies 
  resumed 
  their 
  normal 
  

   life. 
  The 
  tent 
  caterpillars' 
  mode 
  of 
  feeding 
  is 
  to 
  devour 
  the 
  leaves 
  

  

  Fig. 
  7, 
  

  

  -Twigs 
  of 
  choke 
  cherry 
  and 
  apple 
  denuded 
  

   by 
  tent 
  caterpillars. 
  

  

  