62 



BUCCULATRIX ULMELLA. 



[Plate II. Fig. 1 



which in crossing formed a series of 

 lozenges. The caterpillar continued 

 this work with surprising quickness, 

 which prevented me from being well 

 able to follow its movements, and had 

 spun in a few moments nearly a 

 third of the length of its cocoon. 



" Up to that time it remained en- 

 tirely outside its cocoon, working 

 backwards like a rope-maker, but 

 then it entered it head first, and, 

 having turned round, it protruded 

 the anterior part of its body from 

 the open end of its cocoon, and 

 having extended its head sufficiently 

 far it commenced the other ex- 

 tremity of its cocoon, adopting a 

 proceeding precisely similar to that 

 which it had put into execution at 

 the opposite end. It continued to 

 work thus till the space which was 

 left open between the two portions 

 of the cocoon became so contracted 

 that the larva could no longer move 

 its head ; then it withdrew entirely 

 within the cocoon, turned itself on 

 its back, and, spinning from below, 

 so caused the two portions of the 

 cocoon to approach each other that 

 at length they met; but since the 

 ribs of the second portion of the 

 cocoon do not meet precisely in the 

 same line with the ribs of the other 

 end, a break in their continuity is 

 caused, as we have already remarked. 



" All the work which I have just 

 described was finished in about half 



tres-regulier de fils simples, qui, 

 se croisant, formaient une suite de 

 losanges. La chenille, continuant 

 ainsi son ouvrage avec une prompti- 

 tude surprenante, et qui erapechait 

 de pouvoir bien la suivre, parvint 

 dans peu de momens a avoir broche 

 presque le tiers de la longueur de la 

 coque. 



''Jusque la elle etait restee tout 

 entiere hors de la coque, travaillant, 

 comme les cordiers, a reculons ; mais 

 alors elle y entra la tete la premiere, 

 et y ayant fait un demi-tour, elle 

 avanca le devant de son corps par 

 I'ouverture, et ayant porte sa tete 

 assez loin, elle commenca I'autre 

 extremite de I'ouvrage par un pro- 

 cede pareil a celui qu'elle avait mis 

 en oeuvre au bout oppose ; elle con- 

 tinua ainsi de travailler jusqu'k ce 

 que I'espace, entre les deux por- 

 tions de la coque, devint si etroit, 

 qu'elle ne put plus remuer la tete. 

 Alors elle se retira entierement dans 

 sa coque, se mit a la renverse, et 

 rapprocha, en filant par dessous, telle- 

 ment les deux extremites, qu'enfin 

 elles se toucherent ; mais comme les 

 cannelures de la seconde portion de 

 la coque ne se rencontrerent pas 

 precisement dans les memes lignes 

 avec les cannelures de I'autre bout, 

 cela fit paraitre le defaut de con- 

 tinuite dont il a ete fait mention. 



"Tout le travail qu'on vient de 

 decrire fut acheve environ dans une 



