The Life of the Caterpillar 



recover their vigour when the time comes to 

 dance the lovers' round. 



The twenty-four new ones undergo ampu- 

 tation of the antennae. The old, hornless one 

 is left out of count, as dying or close to it. 

 Lastly, the prison-door is left open for the 

 remainder of the day. He who will may 

 leave the room, he who can shall join in the 

 evening festival. In order to put such as go 

 out to the test of searching for the bride, the 

 cage, which they would be sure to notice on 

 the threshold, is once more removed. I shift 

 it to a room in the opposite wing, on the 

 ground-floor. The access to this room is of 

 course left free. 



Of the twenty-four deprived of their an- 

 tennae, only sixteen go outside. Eight re- 

 main, powerless to move. They will soon die 

 where they are. Out of the sixteen who have 

 left, how many are there that return to the 

 cage in the evening? Not one! I sit up to 

 capture just seven, all newcomers, all sport- 

 ing feathers. This result would seem to 

 show that the amputation of the antennae is a 

 rather serious matter. Let us not draw con- 

 clusions yet: a doubt remains and an import- 

 ant one. 



256 



