164 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE chap. 



Many of the geometers do not fasten the leaves 

 together, trusting to other means for concealment, 

 but the commonest of all, at least in my garden, 

 does do this. There are a great many species, but 

 the habits and general appearance are much alike. 

 They fasten the leaves together and hide betv^^een 

 them and feed on the leaves, but always work 

 towards the top of the shoot, and will attack the 

 bud as soon as it is formed. It will be noticed that 

 the caterpillar, if hatched as usual on the point of 

 the growing shoot, keeps hold by a silken thread 

 of each leaf as it unfolds, and is able at any time to 

 leave its hiding place for a new one in a leaf spray 

 higher up, and thus gradually to mount towards the 

 bud. 



By this means it also sometimes escapes ; the dis- 

 tortion of the leaf spray it has just left is very 

 conspicuous, but its new abode is most cleverly con- 

 cealed, looking quite natural except that two leaves 

 happen to touch back to back. A novice on un- 

 rolling the curled leaves would often come to the 

 conclusion that the insect had escaped or been 

 taken by a bird, but the experienced eye will always 

 look upwards to the next leaf spray, and the ex- 

 perienced finger will always go there first, and not 

 waste time on the decoy beneath. These caterpillars 

 are often very abundant from the end of April to 

 the beginning of Jmie, and as they grow very fast 

 they cannot be looked for too frequently. 



Other geometer larvae do not hide themselves or 

 spin the leaves together, but trust to their colours 

 and attitudes for concealment. A dark brown one 

 {Phygalia) simulates the appearance of a dead stick, 

 and another, of a lighter brown with a yellow 



