How Animals Work. 



it re-entered the interior of the cocoon. It deposited 

 the grain of earth, and came out again immediately 

 to pick up another grain, which it carried likewise 

 into the interior of the cocoon. This operation was 

 continued for more than an hour, by which time the 

 caterpillar had collected quite an appreciable quantity 

 of earth particles within its cocoon. It then began 

 spinning over one part of the edges of the opening, 

 and after it had woven a loose band of silken threads 

 the caterpillar's head disappeared from view for a 

 moment, only to return holding a pellet of earth in its 

 jaws, which it promptly entangled in the threads. Gradu- 

 ally working round the edge of the torn gap in its cocoon, 

 alternately spinning threads and entangling pellets of 

 earth, the caterpillar rendered the diameter of the open- 

 ing smaller and smaller. When the opening was at last 

 reduced to a circle of only a few lines in diameter, the 

 caterpillar drew threads from one point of the circum- 

 ference to another on the opposite side, thus covering 

 the aperture with a rather open network. As soon as 

 this web was finished the caterpillar placed a grain of 

 earth against it, and by pushing and pressing it, made 

 it pass through the web until it reached the exterior, 

 and so in succession more grains were brought and 

 forced into position, until the whole of the silken web 

 was hidden from view. 



There is an interesting group of caterpillars the 

 members of which are quite wise in the art of dress- 

 making, and which are sometimes called " Basket 

 Worms." To protect their soft bodies, these little 

 caterpillars dress themselves up in garments made of 

 leaves, blades of grass, small twigs, or even little stones 



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