32 
A NATURALIST ON THE PROWL. 
broken in the time of his predecessor, but you mark 
the fresh surface of the broken edge and convict him of 
deceit. A leaf may be judged in the same way. So, 
having come to the conclusion that the leaf has been 
eaten by a caterpillar, and that lately, you put your 
final question, Where is he? Under a leaf, or motion- 
less on the upper side of one, or in a cunning chamber, 
or lurking about the stem. Perhaps before your very 
eyes as you search, telling a lie. It may be standing 
on end, as stiff as a stick, and saying, “ I am only a 
broken and withered leaf stalk,” or it may be lying 
close along a twig, like a swelling or deformity of the 
plant. Or it may have dropped to the ground the 
moment you touched the branch on which it was feeding. 
From the indications afforded by its appetite you may 
make a near guess as to its size, which will help your 
search ; and if you are a botanist, you may even con- 
jecture to what genus it belongs, for each genus has a 
traditional attachment to some particular order of plants. 
The end of it all will generally be that you will not find 
the caterpillar. 
It often happens, however, that one does find cater- 
pillars. Where honest search fails a curious accident 
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