The Psyches: the Cases 



longer seasonable. Autumnal rains threaten, 

 followed by winter frosts. It is time to make 

 ourselves a thick great-coat with a cape of 

 thatch arranged in a series of waterproof tip- 

 pets. It begins with a great lack of accuracy. 

 Straws of uneven length and bits of dry leaves 

 are fastened, with no attempt at order, behind 

 the neck of the sack, which must still retain 

 its flexibility so as to allow the caterpillar to 

 bend freely in every direction. 



Few as yet, rather short and placed any- 

 how, sometimes lengthways and sometimes 

 across, these untidy first logs of the roof will 

 not interfere with the final regularity of the 

 building: they are destined to disappear and 

 will be pushed back and be driven out at last 

 as the sack grows in front. 



Later on, when the pieces are longer and 

 better-chosen, they are all carefully laid longi- 

 tudinally. The placing of a straw is done 

 with surprising quickness and dexterity. If 

 the log which he has found suits him, the 

 caterpillar takes it between his legs and turns 

 it round and round. Gripping it with his 

 mandibles by one end, as a rule he removes 

 a few morsels from this part and immediately 

 fixes them to the neck of the sack. His ob- 



239 



