inii CANADIAN llUlinCULlUKlST. 171 



main branch, it has become sufficiently matured to be able to feed upon 

 ihe strong meat of the hard wood, 'and accordingly makes its way into 

 [ he branch, leaving the hollow twig to gradually wither and drop olf. 

 It now eats its way downwards a short distance, half an inch in the 

 specimen before us, through the centre of the branch, and proceeds 

 deliberately to cut off its connection with the tree, and make its way 

 to the e^rth by the shortest possible route. This, however, is a some- 

 what delicate opei'ation, and requires the exercise of all.the insect's 

 wonderful instinct or ^kill, for were it to knaw too much of the wood 

 I way the branch would break during tlie proceeding, and probably crush 

 the workman to death. But with admirable forethought and precision, it 

 leaves the bark and just enough woody fibre untouched to sustain the 

 branch until it has time to make good its retreat into its burrow. 

 ' But,' as Dr. Fetch relates, ' the most astonishing part of this feat 

 remains to be noticed. The limb which he cuts off is sometimes only 

 ■■) foot in length, and is consequently quite light ; sometimes ten feet 

 long, laden with leaves, and quite heavy. A man, by carefully in- 

 specting the length of the limb, the size of its branches, and the amount 

 of the foliage growing upon them, could judge how far it should be 

 severed to insure its being afterwards broken by the winds. But this 

 worm is imprisoned in a dark cell only an inch or too long in the interior 

 of the limb. How is it possible for this creature, therefore, to know the 

 weight and length of the limb, and how nearly it should be cut asunder? 

 A man, moreover, on cutting a number of limbs of different lengths so far 

 that they will be broken by the winds, will find that he has often miscal- 

 culated, and that several of. the limbs do not break off as he desioned 

 they should. This little worm however, never makes a mistake of this 

 kind. If the limb be short, it severs all the woody fibres, leavinf^ it 

 hanging only by the bark; if it be larger, a few of the M^oody fibres on 

 the upper side are left uncut in addition to the bark. If it be very 

 long and heavy, not more than three-fourths of the wood will be severed. 

 With such consummate skill does this philosophical little carpenter 

 vary his proceedings to meet the circumstances of his situation in each 

 particular case.' 



Having performed this operation successfully, and closed its hole, 

 that the jarring of the branch when it falls to the ground may not shake 

 it out, the grub retreats to where it first entered the limb, and goes on 

 4iating up through the heart for about six inches or a foot, and this ii 



