206 THE LIFE OF AN INSECT. 



little time, picked up, one by one, a number of 

 grains of earth, which it stored up in its case. 

 After this, it filled up the sides of the opening 

 with a net-work of silk, working the grains of 

 earth into it as it proceeded. For three hours the 

 larva worked incessantly at its task, and at the 

 end of that time had materially reduced the size 

 of the opening. Reaumur was now curious to 

 observe how the opening still left would be filled 

 up, as the insect could no longer put its head out, 

 and he expected to see it filled up with a mesh of 

 silk. But he had not given the larva due credit 

 for ingenuity in making this supposition. It filled 

 up the opening first, with a mesh of silk, but be- 

 tween the meshes, in a most curious manner, it 

 thrust out some little grains of earth, which it had 

 previously stored up, until they actually appeared 

 on the outside, and any one would have sup- 

 posed they had been laid on from without. It 

 finally ended its labours by coating the inside of 

 the opening also with a layer of earth. Reaumur 

 afterwards cut the cocoon in half with a knife, 

 and by that means was enabled to see how success- 

 fully the larva had repaired the injury. 



We must now speak briefly of the Suspension 



