TENT-MAKING CATERPILLARS. 225 



pulp between the membranes of the leaf (for it took 

 the greatest care not to puncture or injure the mem- 

 branes themselves), it soon succeeded in mining out 

 a gallery rather larger than was sufficient to contain 

 its body. We perceived that it did not throw out as 

 rubbish the pulp it dug into, but devoured it as food, 

 — a circumstance not the least remarkable in its pro- 

 ceedings. 



As the two membranes of leaf thus deprived of the 

 enclosed pulp appeared white and transparent, every 

 movement of the insect within could be distinctly 

 seen ; and it was not a little interesting to watch its 

 ingenious operations while it was making its tent from 

 the membranes prepared as we have just described. 

 These, as Reaumur has remarked, are in fact to the 

 insect like a piece of cloth in the hands of a tailor; 

 and no tailor could cut out a shape with more neat- 

 ness and dexterity than this little workman does. As 

 the caterpillar is furnished in its mandibles with an 

 excellent pair of scissors, this may not appear to be 

 a difficult task ; yet when we examine the matter 

 more minutely, we find that the peculiar shape of the 

 two extremities requires different curvatures, and this, 

 of course, renders the operation no less complex, as 

 Reaumur subjoins, than the shaping of the pieces of 

 cloth for a coat.* The insect, in fact, shapes the mem- 

 branes slightly convex on one side and concave on the 

 other, and at one end twice as large as at the other. 

 In the instance which we observed, beginning at the 

 larger end, it bent them gently on each side by press- 

 ing them with its body thrown into a curve. We 

 have not said it cuts, but shapes its materials ; for it 

 must be obvious that if the insect had cut both the 

 membranes at this stage of its operations, the pieces 

 would have fallen and carried it along with them. 



To obviate such an accident, it proceeded to join 

 * Mem. Hist. Insect iii. p 106. 



o 3 



