The Cabbage-caterpillar 



they resign themselves. Each one, supporting 

 himself on the trellis, first weaves around him- 

 self a thin carpet of white silk, which will 

 form the sustaining layer at the time of the 

 laborious and delicate work of the nymphosis. 

 He fixes his rear-end to this base by a silk pad 

 and his fore-part by a strap that passes under 

 his shoulders and is fixed on either side to the 

 carpet. Thus slung from his three fastenings, 

 he strips himself of his larval apparel and 

 turns into a chrysalis in the open air, with no 

 protection save that of the wall, which the 

 caterpillar would certainly have found had I 

 not interfered. 



Of a surety, he would be short-sighted in- 

 deed that pictured a world of good things 

 prepared exclusively for our advantage. The 

 earth, the great foster-mother, has a generous 

 breast. At the very moment when nourishing 

 matter is created, even though it be with our 

 own zealous aid, she summons to the feast 

 host upon host of consumers, who are all the 

 more numerous and enterprising in proportion 

 as the table is more amply spread. The cherry 

 of our orchards is excellent eating: a maggot 

 contends w^ith us for its possession. In vain 

 do we weigh suns and planets : our supremacy, 



351 



