92 OF SOCIABLE CATERPILLARS. 



habitation above described, where they dwell in great 

 harmony, until they have gone through the purgatory 

 of their chrysalis state, when they assume their perfect 

 condition. 



The Bombyx phtzmvhea, neustria, and many others, 

 construct similar nests ; but it is unnecessary to enter 

 into a detail of these. 



Reaumur gives an interesting account of the Gold- 

 tail Moth, whose caterpillars are gregarious, and spin 

 for themselves a silken tent. They are of that family 

 of Bombyces, which pull from their bodies the hairs 

 wherewith to envelope their eggs. The moment the 

 larva emerges from the egg, it commences feeding : 

 it is quickly joined by another, which places itself 

 alongside the first, until a succession of these reach 

 across the leaf : when this is completed, a second pile 

 is begun, and then a third, and thus they continue 

 to rank themselves till the whole upper surface of the 

 leaf is covered. It seldom happens that a single 

 leaf is large enough to contain the whole community ; 

 those who cannot be accommodated pursue the 

 same arrangement on a contiguous leaf. When they 

 have satisfied their hunger, by a simultaneous 

 impulse, they set about weaving a habitation for 

 their mutual comfort. This they at first construct 

 in a simple style, by a vaulted web, simply covering 

 the leaf they inhabit. In the course of time, how- 

 ever, a larger one is formed, with a plurality of 

 apartments, strong in its texture, and magnificent in 

 its appearance, and capable of protecting them against 

 the inclemency of the weather, and the intrusion of 



