The Life of the Caterpillar 



diet, renewed as the strips dry up, I can keep 

 them in very good condition until the end of 

 my inquisition. 



There is another arrangement to be made. 

 The colonists in my spare tubes are restless 

 and quick of flight; they will have to be trans- 

 ferred presently to sundry vessels without my 

 risking the loss of a good number, or ev^en the 

 whole lot, a loss which my hands, my forceps 

 and other means of coercion would be unable 

 to prevent by checking the nimble movements 

 of the tiny prisoners. The irresistible attrac- 

 tion of the sunlight comes to my aid. If I lay 

 one of my tubes horizontally on the table, 

 turning one end towards the full light of a 

 sunny window, the captives at once make for 

 this brighter end and play about there for a 

 long while, without seeking to retreat. If I 

 turn the tube in the opposite direction, the 

 crowd immediately shifts its quarters and col- 

 lects at the other end. The brilliant sunlight 

 is its great joy. With this bait, I can send 

 it whithersoever I please. 



We will therefore place the new receptacle, 

 jar or test-tube, on the table, pointing the 

 closed end towards the window. At its mouth, 

 we open one of the full tubes. No other 



364 



