The Capricorn 



casing of shavings. Behind this compound 

 door, the larva makes its arrangements for 

 the metamorphosis. The sides of the cham- 

 ber are rasped, thus providing a sort of down 

 formed of ravelled woody fibres, broken into 

 minute shreds. The velvety matter, as and 

 when obtained, is applied to the wall in a 

 continuous felt at least a millimetre thick. 1 

 The chamber is thus padded throughout with 

 a fine swan's-down, a delicate precaution 

 taken by the rough worm on behalf of the 

 tender pupa. 



Let us hark back to the most curious part 

 of the furnishing, the mineral hatch or inner 

 door of the entrance. It is an elliptical 

 skull-cap, white and hard as chalk, smooth 

 within and knotted without, resembling more 

 or less closely an acorn-cup. The knots 

 show that the matter is supplied in small, 

 pasty mouthfuls, solidifying outside in slight 

 projections which the animal does not re- 

 move, being unable to get at them, and pol- 

 ished on the inside surface, which is within 

 the worm's reach. What can be the nature 

 of that singular lid whereof the Cerambyx 

 furnishes me with the first specimen? It is 

 as hard and brittle as a flake of lime-stone. 

 It can be dissolved cold in nitric acid, dis- 



1 .039 inch. — Translator's Note. 

 201 



