The Life of the Caterpillar 



to him in work of secondary importance, in- 

 stead of making good the series of cones, each 

 fitting into the other, which are so essential to 

 the hermit's protection. He continues his 

 normal task imperturbably, as though nothing 

 out of the way had taken place. Even so does 

 the spinner in the pine-tree act with his burst 

 tent. 



Your foster-parent must perpetrate yet 

 another piece of mischief, O my Proces- 

 sionary; but this time it shall be to your 

 advantage ! It does not take me long to per- 

 ceive that the nests intended to last through 

 the winter often contain a population much 

 greater than that of the temporary shelters 

 woven by the very young caterpillars. I also 

 notice that, when they have attained their ulti- 

 mate dimensions, these nests differ very con- 

 siderably in size. The largest of them are 

 equal to five or six of the smallest. What is 

 the cause of these variations? 



Certainly, if all the eggs turned out well, 

 the scaly cylinder containing the laying of a 

 single mother would be enough to fill a splen- 

 did purse: there are three hundred enamelled 

 beads here for hatching. But in families 

 which swarm unduly an enormous waste al- 



42 



