CATERPILLARS. 165 



curtain. As this sort of covering is not sufficient for 

 concealment when the animal advances in growth, it 

 abandons the base of the leaf for the middle, where 

 it doubles up one side in a very secure and ingenious 

 manner. 



Nest of the nettle leaf-rolling Caterpillar. 



We have watched this little architect begin and fitiish 

 his tent upon a nettle in our study, the whole opera- 

 tion taking more than half an hour.* He began by 

 walking over the plant in all directions, examining the 

 leaves severally, as if to ascertain which was best titted 

 for his purpose l3y being pliable, and bending with the 

 weight of his body. Having found one to his mind, 

 he placed himself along the mid-rib, to the edge of 

 which he secured himself firmly with the pro-legs of 

 his tail; then stretching his head to the edge of the 

 leaf, he fixed a series of parallel cables between it and 

 the mid-rib, with another series crossing these at an 

 acute angle. The position in which he worked was 

 most remarkable, for he did not, as might have been 

 supposed, spin his cables with his face to the leaf, 

 but throwing himself on his back, which was turned 

 towards the leaf, he hung with his whole weight by 

 his first-made cables. This, by drawmg them into 

 the form of the curve, shortened them, and conse- 

 quently pulled the edge of the leaf down towards the 

 mid-rib. The weight of his body was not, however, 

 the only power which he employed; for, using the 

 anaj pro-legs as a point of support, he exerted the 



* J. R. 



