The Caddis-Worm 



And this mad heaping-up follows straight 

 upon the regular basket-work of the start. 

 The young grub's fascine did not lack a cert- 

 ain elegance, with its dainty laths, all stacked 

 crosswise, methodically; and, lo and behold, 

 the builder, grown larger, more experienced 

 and, one would think, more skilful, abandons 

 the orderly plan to adopt another which is 

 wild and incoherent ! There is no transition- 

 stage between the two systems. The extrava- 

 gant pile rises abruptly from the original bas- 

 ket. But that we often find the two kinds 

 of work placed one above the other, we would 

 not dare ascribe to them a common origin. 

 The fact of their being joined together is the 

 only thing that makes them one, in spite of 

 the incongruity. 



But the two storeys do not last indefi- 

 nitely. When the worm has grown slightly 

 and is housed to its satisfaction in a heap of 

 joists, it abandons the basket of its childhood, 

 which has become too narrow and is now a 

 troublesome burden. It cuts through its 

 sheath, lops off and lets go the stern, the origi- 

 nal work. When moving to a higher and 

 roomier flat, it understands how to lighten its 

 portable house by breaking off a part of it. 

 All that remains is the upper floor, which is 



185 



