MEANS OF DEFENCE OF CATERPILLARS. 189 



cock's eye, which must be conspicuous to birds from 

 its dark black colour, prettily dotted with white, aided 

 besides by the gregarious habit of feeding in a 

 colony of several dozens together; but if a thrush or 

 a sparrow pounces upon one of them, the formidable 

 spines must present an obstacle somewhat unex- 

 pected, perhaps, to the making of a comfortable 

 meal. The ass, indeed, seems to relish the piquant 

 stimulus of the thorns or thistles, and sheep, goats, 

 and deer will browse on the still sharper leaves of 

 holly ;* but we think none of our soft-billed birds 

 would venture on a thorny caterpillar. Madame 

 Merian says 'that the spines of the caterpillar of 

 Urania Leilus are as hard as iron wire.'t Abbot 

 tells us that many American caterpillars sting like a 



Thorny hairs of caterpillars. a a a, spiny caterpillar, from 

 Madame Merian. 6 6, Vanessa lo. c, spines magnified. 



* Withering, Pot. Arrangement. Note on Ilex aquifolium. 

 t Merian, Insect. Surinam, xxix. 



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