The Processionary : the Nest 



very soon wither and then be blown off with 

 the first breath of wind. The silken purse, 

 torn from its base, would collapse. On the 

 other hand, if the leaves are respected, they 

 remain vigorous and furnish a stout support 

 against the assaults of winter. A solid fast- 

 ening is superfluous for the summer tent, 

 which lasts but a day; it is indispensable to 

 the permanent shelter which will have to bear 

 the burden of heavy snows and the buffeting 

 of icy winds. Fully alive to these perils, the 

 spinner of the pine-tree considers himself 

 bound, however importunate his hunger, 

 not to saw through the rafters of his 

 house. 



Inside the nest, therefore, opened by my 

 scissors I see a thick arcade of green leaves, 

 more or less closely wrapped in a silky sheath 

 whence dangle shreds of cast skin and strings 

 of dried droppings. In short, this interior 

 is an extremely unpleasant place, a rag-shop 

 and a sewage-farm in one, and corresponds 

 in no way with the imposing exterior. All 

 around is a solid wall of quilting and of 

 closely-woven leaves. There are no cham- 

 bers, no compartments marked off by parti- 

 tion-walls. It is a single room, turned into a 



31 



