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THE CURIOUS BASKET-CARRIERS 



February i6ih 

 J 



E must not let the winter pass with- 

 out gathering a few of the cocoons 

 of the basket-carriers, or bag-worms. 

 There are many kinds of cocoons 

 to be found in winter, and all sorts 

 of beautiful moths come out of them, but there are 



i 



; few such queer specimens as this of the bag-worm, 



" with its array of sticks and leaves and thatch of vari- 



r " ous sorts; and you may be sure it has a surprise in 



j store for you next spring, if you have not yet learned 



its secret. It is only necessary to gather a dozen or so, 



and place them in a box and await further developments. 



I shall never forget my first experience with them. 



It was one winter early in my boyhood. A larch-tre,e 



in front of my city home was dangling full of the stick- 



