Spinning Caterpillars. 



359 



markable for the fact that the larva never exhibits itself, 

 but builds a dwelling in which it conceals itself, just as does 

 the well-known caddis-worm. Indeed the nests of several 

 Oiketici look exactly as if the dwelling of a caddis-worm 

 had been greatly enlarged and hung up in a tree. 



[The nest of this species, however, differs from that of the 

 common Oiketicus by being covered with a coating of greyish 



Nests of Oiketicus, &c. 



silk. If we cut open the silk, we find a great number of 

 little sticks and leaf-stems crossed on each other, and 

 showing their ends through the silken cover. Within these 

 defences there is a layer of leaves cut into small pieces, and 

 lastly comes the cell inhabited by the caterpillar. It is 

 lined with a silken web similar in character to that on the 

 outside, but finer, stronger, and whiter ^ The caterpillar is 

 therefore defended by four distinct barriers. First comes 



