298 



THE UNIVERSE. 



sheltered in a mass, one caterpillar marches at the head ; 

 then come two ; after that three ; next four abreast, the 

 squadrons always augmenting and marching regularly one 

 after the other. Their files, which sometimes stretch out 

 for a length of thirty to forty feet, in this way make nu- 

 merous windings over the downs and roads, imitating the 

 order of a procession in movement. This has procured for 

 the butterfly which gives birth to this dangerous cohort the 



142. Catching Wild Geese. From a painting in the Subterranean Temples of Beni-Hassan. 

 Lepsius, "Monuments of Egypt and Ethiopia." 



name of Processionary Bombyx. When they are en- 

 countered, it is necessary to let them alone, for neither man 

 nor animal can disturb their march, or even aproach them 

 without being severely punished for it. The hairs which 

 cover these caterpillars become detached during their evo- 

 lutions, and float all about the army ; it is extremely dan- 

 gerous to inhale them, for when any enter the lungs an 

 obstinate and distressing cough immediately ensues, which 

 goes to the verge of suffocation. 



