THE WISE CADDIS-WORM 71 



the " wisest one," perhaps, is the funny old 

 Caddis- worm ; for like the man who " wore 

 an ulster down to his feet," it clothes itself 

 from top to toe in a large, trailing garment, 

 into which when danger threatens it disappears 

 altogether, like 



The man in the ulster, who smiled as he cried, 

 " Under my coat / mean to hide. . . ." 



The Caddis-worms are really the funniest 

 sight as they amble and shuffle along at the 

 bottom of the pool, dragging their long, clumsy- 

 looking cases behind them. There is very 

 little indeed of the insect itself to be seen, as 

 the cautious Caddis never allows more than 

 its head and shoulders to appear unclothed ; 

 the rest of its long, thin body is always 

 completely hidden away in its extraordinary 

 garment. Its case is often so large and heavy 

 that if it lived on dry land the Caddis would 

 not be able to move at all, but under the 

 water it is, of course, much easier to drag 

 about a heavy load, and the insect can creep 

 slowly along the floor of the pool or even 

 climb up and down the weeds without much 

 difficulty. As it ambles along on its six thin 

 little legs the Caddis keeps a sharp look-out 



