LOOPER CATERPILLARS 



359 



the first warm spring day they awake, and are soon out enjoying 

 the sunshine. 



LOOPER CATERPILLARS (Family Geometrid^) 



The term " looper " is appUed to a large class of caterpillars, 

 which walk in a very peculiar manner — namely, by drawing them- 

 selves up into a kind of loop, then straightening their bodies, and 

 drawing them up into a 

 loop again. For this 

 reason they are called 

 " Geometers" (earth-mea- 

 surers). 



Besides its six true 

 legs, the caterpillar of a 

 moth or a saw-fly is fur- 

 nished with a number of 

 " claspers ", or false legs, 

 which are also employed 

 in walking. 



These claspers are 

 not legs, strictly speak- 

 ing, and are quite unlike 

 the true limbs in their 

 structure. They are, 

 indeed, merely fleshy 

 pads, surrounded with a row of very small hooks, by means of 

 which a firm foothold can be obtained. So powerful are these 

 claspers that when a caterpillar has once taken its hold it is quite 

 difficult to remove it. 



Now most caterpillars have ten of these claspers, set at in- 

 tervals upon the lower surface of the body. Some, indeed, possess 

 as many as sixteen. " Looper " caterpillars, however, have only 

 four, which are placed at the extreme tail-end of the body; the 

 consequence is that they are quite unable to walk in the same way 

 as their fellows. 



1, Bumet Moth. 

 3, Shipton Moth. 



i, Caterpillar ("looper") of do. 

 4, Caterpillar ("looper") of do. 



