62 MY STUDIO NEIGHBORS 



when, click ! and in an instant his place knows 

 him no more, and a black hole marks the spot 

 where he met his fate, which is now being duly 

 celebrated in a supplementary fete several inches 

 belowground. 



A poor unfortunate green caterpillar, which, 

 with a very little forcible persuasion in the inter- 

 est of science, was induced to take a short-cut 

 across this nice clean space of earth to the clover 

 beyond, was the next martyr to my passion for 

 original observation. He might have pursued his 

 even course across the arena unharmed, but he 

 too persisted in trespassing, and suddenly was 

 seen to transform from a slow creeping laggard 

 into the liveliest acrobat, as he stood on his head 

 and apparently dived precipitately into the hole 

 which suddenly appeared beneath him. A cer- 

 tain busy fly made itself promiscuous in the 

 neighborhood, more than once to the demoraliza- 

 tion of my necessary composure, as it crept per- 

 sistently upon my nose. What was my delight 

 when I observed the fickle insect in curious con- 

 templation of a pair of calipers at the centre of 

 one of the little courts ! But, whether from past 

 experience or innate philosophy in the insect I 

 know not, the pronged hooks, though coming to- 

 gether with a click once or twice at the near 



