The Life of the Caterpillar 



rear the pretty bearer of the tufts and brushes. 

 How many times, with his sensitive finger, 

 has he not stroked the creature's furry cos- 

 tume? He found it softer than velvet. And 

 yet, enlarged under the microscope, the cater- 

 pillar's hairs are horrible barbed spears, no 

 less menacing than those of the Processionary. 

 The resemblance goes no farther: handled 

 without precautions, the tufted caterpillar 

 does not provoke even a simple rash. No- 

 thing could be more harmless than his coat. 



It is evident, then, that the cause of the 

 irritation lies elsewhere than in the barbs. If 

 the barbed bristles were enough to poison the 

 fingers, most hairy caterpillars would be dan- 

 gerous, for nearly all have spiny bristles. We 

 find, on the contrary, that virulence is be- 

 stowed upon a very small number, which are 

 not distinguished from the rest by any special 

 structure of the hair. 



That the barbs have a part to play, that of 

 fixing the irritant atom upon the epidermis, 

 of keeping it anchored in its place, is, after all, 

 possible; but the shooting pains cannot by 

 any means be caused by the mere prick of so 

 delicate a harpoon. 



Much less slender, the hairs clustered 



138 



