The Psyches: the Laying 



All go straight to the coarse faggot, which 

 I left in contact with the wallet that was the 

 chrysalis. Time presses. Before making 

 your entrance into the world and going 

 agrazing, you must first be clad. All there- 

 fore, with equal fury, attack the old sheath 

 and hastily dress themselves in the mother's 

 cast clothes. Some turn their attention to bits 

 that happen to be open lengthwise and scrape 

 the soft, white inner layer; others, greatly 

 daring, penetrate into the tunnel of a hollow 

 stalk and go and collect their cotton goods 

 in the dark. At such times the materials are 

 first-class; and the garment woven is of a 

 dazzling white. Others bite deep into the 

 piece which they select and make themselves 

 a motley garment, in which dark-coloured 

 particles mar the snowy whiteness of the rest. 



The tool which they use for their gleaning 

 consists of the mandibles, shaped like wide 

 shears with five strong teeth apiece. The two 

 planes fit into each other and form an im- 

 plement capable of seizing and slicing any 

 fibre, however small. Seen under the micro- 

 scope, it is a wonderful specimen of mechanic- 

 al precision and power. Were the Sheep 

 similarly equipped in proportion to her size, 



