THE CATERPILLAR AND THE MOTH 



hanging motionless from leaves, petioles, and twigs, be- 

 numbed with exposure and incapable of action — more 

 miserable-looking insects could not be imagined. No in- 

 stinct of protection, apparently, had prevailed over their 

 appetites; till at last, overcome by wet and cold, they 

 were saved only by some impulse that led them to grasp 

 the support so firmly with the abdominal feet that they 

 hung there mechanically when senses and power of move- 

 ment were gone. Some clung by the hindmost pair of feet 

 only, others grasped the support with all the abdominal 

 feet. One colony and most of another were safely housed 

 in their tents. These had evidently retreated before 

 helplessness overtook them. 



By eight o ; clock in the morning many of the suspended 

 caterpillars were sufficiently revived to resume activity. 

 Some fed a little, others crawled feebly toward the tents. 

 By 9:45 most were on their way home, and at 10:4 5 all 

 were under shelter. 



Gentle rains fell during most of the day, but the tem- 

 perature gradually rose to a maximum of 65 . Only a few 

 caterpillars from the youngest colony came out to feed at 

 noon. In the evening there was a hard, drenching rain, 

 after which several caterpillars from two of the tents ap- 

 peared for dinner. The next morning, the 19th, the tem- 

 perature dropped to 49°, light rains continued, and not a 

 caterpillar from any colony ventured out for breakfast. It 

 looked as if they had learned their lesson; but it is more 

 probable they were simply too cold and stiff to leave the 

 tents. In the afternoon the sky cleared, the temperature 

 rose, and the colonies resumed their normal life. 



The tent caterpillars' mode of feeding is to devour the 

 leaves clear down to the midribs (Figs. 148, 149), and in 

 this fashion they denude whole branches of the trees they 

 inhabit. Since the caterpillars have big appetites, it some- 

 times happens that a large colony in a small tree or several 

 colonies in the same tree may strip the tree bare before 

 they reach maturity. The writer never saw a colony 



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