270 
DOMICILES. 
Dec., 1892. 
though one may have seen the thing happen hundreds of times. 
To return, however, to our domiciles. The Small Eggar not only 
makes this neat dwelling for its pupa, but, when a caterpillar, 
lives in a common habitation—a sort of college consisting of 
a huge web, where they live packed like herrings in the day, 
and whence they emerge at night t® devour the neighbouring 
leaves. They usually live on the sloe, and seem to prefer 
the clumps of that plant on high roads ; at least, I have 
always found them on the roadside. What the domicile or 
web is for I do not think is known ; it can hardly be for 
concealment, as the caterpillar is hairy and conspicuously 
coloured—sure signs of its being nasty; and besides the web 
itself is very visible—can be seen 200 yards off. 
Another beautiful cocoon is that of the Emperor Moth, not 
uncommon on heather. Large as it is, you will see from the 
way in which the specimen I show is embedded in heather 
how difficult it is to be seen in its natural situation. There is 
another peculiarity about it worth notice : the end of it is 
spun open, like the mouth of a pipe. It is said that if you 
cut the cocoon open and take out the chrysalis—which with 
many kinds may be done with impunity—the wings of this 
insect will never expand properly ; it seems to require the 
squeeze of the elastic exit to force the expanding juices into 
the wings. Perhaps someone can confirm or refute this 
statement. The next one in mv show is the cocoon of the 
lovely tussock caterpillar, known in Kent as the Hop-dog ; 
here, where there are no hops, it lives on nut and oak, and 
spins among dead leaves, or forks or cracks in the bark. There 
is a good deal of fine silk expended on the domicile. Then 
there follows a very common slim cocoon, that of the Drinker, 
soberly but agreeably coloured with pale yellow, like dead 
grass or leaves, whether for purpose of hiding or not I cannot 
say. I can only say that though the beast is very common, I 
have never yet found the chrysalis, so that presumably it is 
well hidden. 
The next domicile which I exhibit belongs to an insect 
which is interesting on more grounds than one. In the first 
place, it is, as everybody can see, extremely beautiful, having 
the forewings of a brilliant green, delicately shaded with 
three silvery lines drawn aslant the veins, the hind wings 
being of a pearly white. It is appropriately named the 
Green Silver Lines Moth. Secondly, the cocoons are 
marvellously neat; they are built precisely like a round- 
prowed boat turned upside down, and resting on the leaf or 
base, whatever it may be ; it keeps its resemblance to a boat 
by having a sliarply-cut, sloping stem where the rudder 
