436 Insects most injurious to Cultivators : — 



118 



being formed within the web which had served for the abode of 

 the caterpillars. These webs are quitted from time to time, and 

 new encampments estabhshed at short distances from each other ; 

 hence, each brood constructs several webs in the course of its 

 caterpillar state ; the reason of which is, that the caterpillars do 

 not quit their webs to feed, but only eat such leaves as are en- 

 closed in each web. The number of inhabitants in a colon}' 

 varies from one hundred to two hundred; and, hence, the more 

 numerous the colony, the more frequently is a change of resi- 

 dence required. These webs consist of a great number of 

 threads not unlike spider webs, arranged somewhat irregularly, 

 but sufficiently loose to enable the inhabitants to be seen through 

 the covering. The caterpillars eat only the parenchyma of the 

 upper side of the leaf; they also arrange their threads longi- 

 tudinally, each, apparently, having a thread of its own, along 

 which it moves either backwards or forwards without disturbing 

 its neighbours, which, when in repose, are arranged side by side. 

 The larger-sized nests include several of the smaller branches 

 or twigs with their leaves ; and some parts are of a firmer tex- 

 ture than the rest, apparently for resisting the wet. When the 

 parenchyma of the upper sides of the leaves enclosed in the web 

 have been consumed, the nest is abandoned, and a new one 

 made, enclosing a fresh bunch of twigs, each of the caterpillars 

 spinning a considerable number of threads ; and thus, each 

 colony constructs as many as six or eight distinct webs, dis- 

 figuring the tree, especially when, as is often the case, there are 



