The Life of the Caterpillar 



will challenge one another for the possession 

 of the coveted bride. It is not a serious strug- 

 gle among these easy-going ones, but still it 

 presents a faint picture of those mortal affrays 

 which the mating so often produces. Love 

 rules the world by battle ; it too is a hotbed of 

 competition. 



The caterpillar, being almost sexless, is in- 

 different to amorous instincts. This is the 

 first condition for living pacifically in com- 

 mon. But it is not enough. The perfect 

 concord of the community demands among all 

 its members an equal division of strength and 

 talent, of taste and capacity for work. This 

 condition, which perhaps is the most import- 

 ant of all, is fulfilled preeminently. If there 

 were hundreds, if there were thousands of 

 them in the same nest, there would be no dif- 

 ference between any of them. 



They are all the same size and equally 

 strong; all wear the same dress; all possess 

 the same gift for spinning; and all with equal 

 zeal expend the contents of their silk-glands 

 for the general welfare. No one idles, no 

 one lounges along when there is work to be 

 done. With no other stimulus than the sat- 

 isfaction of doing their duty, every evening, 



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