The Psyches: the Cases 



especially of the pieces which, split length- 

 wise, are more easily stripped of their con- 

 tents. The grub first finds a spot to suit it. 

 Having done so, it gleans, it planes with its 

 mandibles. Thus a superbly white wadding 

 is extracted from old logs. 



The manner of beginning the garment is 

 worth noting. The tiny creature employs as 

 judicious a method as any which our own in- 

 dustry could hope to discover. The wadding 

 is collected in infinitesimal pellets. How are 

 these little particles to be fixed as and when 

 they are detached by the shears of the man- 

 dibles? The manufacturer needs a support, 

 a base; and this support cannot be obtained 

 on the caterpillar's own body, for any adher- 

 ence would be seriously embarrassing and 

 would hamper freedom of movement. The 

 difficulty is overcome very cleverly. Scraps 

 of plush are gathered and by degrees fastened 

 to one another with threads of silk. This 

 forms a sort of rectilinear garland in which 

 the particles collected swing from a common 

 rope. When these preparations are deemed 

 sufficient, the little creature passes the garland 

 round its waist, at about the third segment of 

 the thorax, so as to leave its six legs free; 



221 



