THE CATERPILLAR AND THE MOTH 



taches the thread as far back as it can reach, then runs 

 forward a few paces and repeats the movement, sometimes 

 on the same side, sometimes on the other. The direction 

 in which the thread is carried, however, is a haphazard 

 one, depending on the obstruction the spinner meets from 

 others working in the same manner. Among the crowd of 

 weavers there are always a few individuals that are not 

 working, though they are just as active as the others. 

 These are 



running = " = = = 1 



back and 

 forth over 

 the surface 

 of the tent, 

 like boarders 

 impatiently 

 awaiting the 

 sound ot the 

 dinner bell. 

 Perhaps 

 they are in- 

 dividuals that have finished their 

 work by exhausting their supply 

 of silk. 



At last the signal for dinner 

 is sounded. It is heard by the 

 caterpillars, though it is not 

 audible to an outsider. A 

 few respond at first and start 

 off on one of the branches 

 leading from the tent. Others 

 follow, and presently a column 

 is marching outward, usually 

 keeping to the well-marked 

 paths of silk till the dis- 

 tant branches are reached. 

 Here the line breaks up into 



Fig. I48. Mature tent cater- 

 pillars. (Natural size) 



[273] 



