The Life of the Caterpillar 



species. Here, for instance, is a second 

 Psyche,^ the most belated of the three which 

 I have chanced to come upon. I meet him 

 towards the end of June, hurrying across 

 some dusty path near the houses. His cases 

 surpass those of the previous species both in 

 size and in regularity of arrangement. They 

 form a thick coverlet, of many pieces, in which 

 I recognize here fragments of hollow stalks, 

 there bits of fine straw, with perhaps straps 

 formed of blades of grass. In front there 

 is never any mantilla of dead leaves, a trouble- 

 some piece of finery which, without being in 

 regular use, is pretty frequent in the costume 

 of the first-named species. At the back, no 

 long, denuded vestibule. Save for the indis- 

 pensable collar at the aperture, all the rest 

 is cased in logs. There is not much variety 

 about the thing, but, when all is said, there 

 is a certain elegance in its stern faultlessness. 

 The smallest in size and simplest in dress 

 is the third,' who is very common at the end 

 of winter on the walls, as well as in the fur- 

 rows of the barks of gnarled old trees, be they 



lAs far as can be judged from the case only, Psyche 

 febretta, Boyer de Fonscolombe. — Author's Note. 



'Fumea comitella and F. intermediella, Bruand. — Au- 

 thor's Note. 



192 



