The Life of the Caterpillar 



then it ties the two ends with a bit of silk. 

 The result is a girdle, generally incomplete, 

 but soon completed with other scraps fast- 

 ened to the silk ribbon that carries every- 

 thing. 



This girdle is the base of the work, the 

 support. Henceforth, to lengthen the piece, 

 to enlarge it into the perfect garment, the 

 grub has only to fix, always at the fore- 

 edge, with the aid of its spinnerets, now at 

 the top, now at the bottom or side, the scraps 

 of pith which the mandibles never cease ex- 

 tracting. Nothing could be better thought 

 out than this initial garland laid out flat and 

 then buckled like a belt around the loins. 



Once this base is laid, the weaving-loom 

 is in full swing. The piece woven is first a 

 tiny string around the waist ; next, by the ad- 

 dition of fresh pellets, always at the fore- 

 edge, it grows into a scarf, a waistcoat, a 

 short jacket and lastly a sack, which gradu- 

 ally makes its way backwards, not of itself, 

 but through the action of the weaver, who 

 slips forward in the part of the case already 

 made. In a few hours, the garment is com- 

 pleted. It is by that time a conical hood, a 

 cloak of magnificent whiteness and finish. 



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