242 TENT-MAKERS. 



small circular aperture formed at its upper end, by the con- 

 vergence of elastic narrow points, When the time arrives for 

 his coining forth, the winged Emperor has only to push 

 against the elastic points above him, which thus opened, 

 reclose after his egress, and leave the flask-shaped tenement 

 entire and unimpaired. 



From this imperial, flask-making weaver, we descend (an 

 abrupt transition) to the tiii} r tent-maker, which, though 

 tabernacled in the frail tissue of a piece of leaf, belongs to the 

 same Tinea family as the sturdy little mason whom we have 

 seen to build himself a tower of brick or stone. Those who 

 in a green leaf, or a leaf turned yellow, are accustomed to see 

 a leaf and nothing more, will acquire enlarged conceptions 

 even of a single leaf, when led to consider, that while to some 

 among the insect million it furnishes an extensive plain, to 

 others, it is absolutely a tented field. 



The elegant and curious erections of these tent-making 

 caterpillars are commonly to be seen on various forest and 

 fruit trees, especially the elm, oak, hawthorn, and pear, of 

 which the leaves furnish them at once with food, and material 

 for the construction of their habitations. They are usually 

 about a quarter of an inch in length, and being formed out 

 of pieces of leaf assume, as they wither, a feuille-morte, or 

 golden hue. 1 



There is commonly to be seen about Midsummer, upon 

 leaves of oak, hazel, dock, and other plants, what, on a cursory 

 glance, appears a bundle of little bits of stalk and straw acci- 

 dentally collected and combined. On looking closer we find, 

 however, that the pieces are arranged longitudinally side by 

 side, and much too regularly to have come together hap- 

 hazard. We shall perceive also that among several of these 

 Lilliputian faggots, some are fixed perpendicularly to the leaf, 

 while others are in motion over the surface. The latter are 



1 Vignetta 



