102 Mr Brindley, The procession of Cnetliocampa pinivora. 
chosen was a slight depression in sand free from vegetation. 
The primite stopped against its steeper side and immediately 
attacked the sand with its mandibles, the satellites breaking 
away from each other and surrounding the primite with every 
appearance of watching its movements : certainly it was several 
minutes before any of them commenced to follow the primite’s 
example. Soon all who could get near the latter began digging 
also, the primite quite disappeared in 15 minutes and when we 
left the spot some of the satellites had partially covered them- 
selves. It is of course very possible, however, that the hesitation 
of the satellites was due to some special cause. Fabre observed 
that a procession of 100 larvae on the final march voluntarily 
broke up into short chains which burrowed in different spots, 
and that the cocoons were completed in 15 days. 
In reference to the “ closed circle ” experiment (3) above, 
I find that Fabre gives a striking instance of this formation. 
He succeeded in arranging such a procession on the rim of a 
palm tub sunk in the sand, the larvae circling for seven days 
before they returned to the nest. The circle broke up into 
either one or two masses at nightfall, but reformed at daybreak. 
From the fourth day onwards small exploring parties set out, 
but till the seventh day returned to the circulating majority. 
The thread on which the larvae marched finally became 2 mm. 
wide by constant additions. 
The few observations which the available time and other 
circumstances allowed us to make on a “ wild ” procession do 
little more than confirm the delightful account given by Fabre, 
and they are offered chiefly with the view of suggesting that 
there are several points of importance which should well repay 
fuller investigation than we could make : among which may be 
mentioned the extent to which the primite is a real leader of 
his chain of satellites, how far sight assists such events as 
“joining up” and the formation of a chain from a circulating 
mass, and to what extent a solitary larva secretes a thread. 
Again, Fabre states that in returning to the nest there is 
“ casting about ” (“ des tatonnements, des vagabondages ”) till the 
outward bound thread is encountered and followed up homewards, 
but it would be interesting to know what happens if this thread 
is struck again in the outward direction. The effects of tem- 
perature and light on the activities of the larva are not 
understood clearly. Fabre is inclined to think that the dorsal 
papillae are “ appareils de meteorologie ” and Lapaury* has added 
a little to our knowledge of the effect of temperature on the 
procession. And though we have a suggestion as to the value 
of the processional habit in nocturnal feeding excursions on the 
* Ann. Soc. Ent. de France, xvi. 1876, p. 244. 
