THE PSYCHES 63 



than this : he makes himself a suit of clothes out of sticks. 

 And since this would be a regular hair-shirt to a skin so 

 delicate as his, he puts in a thick lining of silk. 



In April, on the walls of my chief workshop my stony 

 harmas with its wealth of insect life I find the Psyche who 

 will supply me with my most detailed information. He is 

 in the torpid state which shows he will soon become a Moth. 

 It is a good opportunity for examining his bundle of sticks, or 

 case. 



It is a fairly regular object, shaped like a spindle, and 

 about an inch and a half long. The pieces that compose it 

 are fixed in front and free at the back. They are arranged 

 anyhow, and would form rather a poor shelter against the 

 sun and rain if the hermit had no other protection than 

 this. 



At the first glance it appears like thatch ; but thatch is 

 not an exact description of it, for grain-stems are rarely found 

 in it. The chief materials are remnants of very small stalks, 

 light, soft, and rich in pith ; next in order come bits of grass- 

 leaves, scaly twigs from the cypress-tree, and all sorts of 

 little sticks ; and lastly, if the favourite pieces run short, 

 fragments of dry leaves. 



In short the Caterpillar, while preferring pithy pieces, 

 will use anything he comes across, provided it be light, very 

 dry, softened by long exposure, and of the right size. All 

 his materials are used just as they are, without any altera- 

 tions or sawings to make them the proper length. He does 

 not cut the laths that form his roof ; he gathers them as he 

 finds them. His work is limited to fixing them at the fore- 

 end. 



In order to lend itself to the movements of the travelling 

 Caterpillar, and particularly to enable the head and legs 

 to move freely while a new piece is being fixed in position, 

 the front part of this case or sheath must be made in a special 

 way. Here a casing of sticks is no longer suitable, for their 

 length and stiffness would hamper the workman and even 



