THE CLOTHES MQTII. £35 



the thread of the cloth, or by the skin, with its teeth, 

 which act in the manner of scissars, into convenient 

 lengths, and applies the bits, one by one, with great 

 dexterity to the outside of its silken case, to which it 

 fastens them by means of its silk. Its covering 

 being thus formed, it never quits it but in cases of 

 the most urgent necessity. When it wants to feed it 

 puts out its head at either end of its case, as best 

 suits its conveniency. When it wishes to change 

 its place it puts out its head, and its six fore legs, by 

 means of which it moves forward, taking care first 

 to fix its hind legs into the inside of the case so as 

 to drag it along. 



It lives in this manner till, by the augmentation of 

 its size, its case becomes too small for the body : 

 when this is felt it begins by making a small addition 

 to one end 5 then, turning itself within the case, 

 which is always wide enough in the middle for that 

 purpose, it makes a like addition to the other end, 

 so as still to preserve the widest part exactly in the 

 middle ; and in the same manner it makes every 

 successive addition. 



The progress of its operations may be easily re- 

 marked, by transferring it from cloth of one colour 

 to that of another. In this case every fresh addi- 

 tion will become conspicuous, by forming a small 

 ring of the respective colours at each end as they are 

 used. 



When the case wants widening, the insect, with 

 its scissar-like teeth, begins by making a slit length- 

 ways, from the centre to one of the extremities. 

 This opening it instantly fills up with a thin stripe 

 3 



