Small Ermine Moth. 43 7 



many societies established upon it. The leaves, thus half con- 

 sumed, wither up, as well as the young branches, for want of 

 support, and the tree assumes the appearance of having been 

 entirely scorched up with fire. The caterpillars rarely quit their 

 nests ; but, when alarmed or disturbed, they endeavour to make 

 their escape by spinning a long thread, and dropping to the 

 ground. When touched, also, they writhe about with great 

 activity, and will run backwards nearly as fast as forwards. 



When full grown, about the beginning of July, each cater- 

 pillar encloses itself in a long and nearly cylindrical cocoon of 

 white silk (j^o-. 117. d), of a leathery consistence; and these 

 cocoons are arranged side by side at one end of the nest, forming 

 a mass not unlike, only considerably larger than, a mass of ants' 

 eggs, as the cocoons of the ant are commonly called. As the whole 

 of a colony has been reared from one brood of eggs, it is gene- 

 rally the case that the entire number commence the construction 

 of their cocoons at the same time, and the whole are generally 

 completed in the same day. In this cocoon, the insect imme- 

 diately undergoes its change to the chrysalis state {Jig. 117. c)\ 

 and its chrysalis, which does not materially differ from those of 

 other small lepidopterous insects, is of a shining chestnut colour. 

 It differs, however, from the chrysalides of the leaf-rollers, in want- 

 mg the tranverse series of hooks with which the abdominal seg- 

 ments of the latter chrysalides are furnished ; and hence, when, 

 at the expiration of about twenty days, the perfect insect is ready 

 to come forth, the insect being unable to work the chrysalis out 

 of the cocoon, the escape of the imago is effected within the latter, 

 and the moth, with its wings in an unexpanded state, makes its 

 way out of one end of the cocoon, after which its wings soon 

 spread to their full size. 



The perfect insects, owing to their very conspicuous appearance, 

 and their great numbers, are to be observed in the greatest abun- 

 dance flying over the trees of hedges. In this state, their 

 only object is to perpetuate their kind. The manner in which 

 the eggs are deposited, and the young caterpillars developed, ap- 

 pears first to have been noticed by Mr. Major {Treatise, p. 51.) ; 

 but subsequently, with more precision, by Mr. Lewis {Trans. 

 Ent. Soc, i. p. 22.). The former writer states that, on the 29th 

 of July, he found the parent coating her eggs over, which she 

 appeared just to have been depositing, with gummy matter 

 (employing her tail in the operation), which, when dry, forms a 

 thin shell or scale, about the eighth of an inch in diameter. On 

 the 19th of October, on examining the scale, he found twenty- 

 six caterpillars existing, which he was persuaded had never left 

 their abode, as at that time all the parts were completely shut 

 up, and, indeed, the edges of the scale were fiist cemented to the 



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