The Life of the Caterpillar 



This characteristic was not displayed to me 

 without patient investigation on my part. At 

 the southern foot of the Serignan hills, not 

 far from the village, stands a thicket of mari- 

 time pines, alternating with rows of cypress- 

 trees. Here, at the season of All Saints, af- 

 ter the autumnal rains, the mushrooms 

 abound that frequent the Coniferae, in par- 

 ticular the delicious milk-mushroom, which 

 turns green at any part that is bruised and 

 sheds tears of blood when you break it.^ In 

 the mild days of autumn this is the favourite 

 walk of my household, being far enough to 

 exercise young legs and near enough not to 

 tire them. 



They find everything there : old Magpies' 

 nests, formed of bundles of twigs; Jays 

 squabbling with one another, after filling their 

 crops with acorns on the oaks hard by; Rab- 

 bits suddenly starting out of a rosemary-bush, 

 showing their little white upturned scuts; 

 Geotrupes" hoarding away food for the win- 

 ter and heaping up their rubbish on the 



^Cf. The Life of the Fly: chap, xviii. — Translator's 

 Note. 



'Cf. The Life and Love of the Insect: chap. ix. — ' 

 Translator's Note. 



310 



