64 LIFE IN THE INSECT WORLD. 



ward and forward, they remained firm and strong 

 as the tree itself. 



A gentleman placed one of these caterpillars 

 in a box, without providing it either with leaves 

 or bark, and then watched it to see what it would 

 do. But the little creature did not appear to be 

 at a loss ; it crawled to the side of the box, and 

 tearing off pieces of the marble paper with which 

 it was lined, made, in a few hours, a snug little 

 cocoon, which it fastened so firmly with silk and 

 gluten, that he could scarcely cut it with a pen- 

 knife. 



Many kinds of caterpillars are not satisfied 

 with merely hiding themselves in their cocoons, 

 but take pains, also, to conceal the cocoon itself. 

 When one of these, which is sometimes called 

 the earth-mason caterpillar, is about to prepare 

 for its chrysalis, it goes into the ground to the 

 depth of several inches, scoops out a little cell, 

 and selecting pieces of earth of a suitable size, 

 and kneading them to the proper consistency, 

 fastens them to the sides of the cell, and binds 

 them together with silk. In this way, it builds 

 several walls, one inside of the other, all of 

 which are made firm and strong with silk and 



