MELITiEA I. 
all hands were busy in repairing and strengthening, working both within the 
webs and without. 
The largest of these structures was long and narrow, tapering at either end, 
about three inches broad in the middle, and so thick and closely woven as to 
conceal the interior. For egress while at work, two somewhat tubular openings 
were left on the middle of one side, and the threads about these were doubled. 
To support this large web the upper part of a stem of swamp grass, which was 
growing m same tub, was bent down, and its bioad and spieadmg lca\es were 
bound over the surface, and this with the stem ol Chelone was stifl enough to 
resist the wind. After the larval had ceased work and finally letned within the 
web, a slight covering was spun across the outlets, sufficient evidently to tlnow 
off water and to keep out spiders. Two or three days later, about 20th July, 
the third moult was passed, and thenceforward the larvae did not leave the web, 
but entered on their period of rest, which would endure till the following April. 
Watching the same stages in the swamp, the same peculiarities were to be 
noticed. In some cases very large webs were constructed, and the one repre¬ 
sented on the Plate was 11 X 4 inches at its extremes. In nearly all cases, 
assistance from other plants was sought to support the stem. And the com¬ 
pleted webs were not confined to Chelone but were often built on othei plants 
at some distance, one to three feet from the food plant. I thought at first that 
such plants must also have been eaten of by the larvae, but could find no evi¬ 
dence of it, and larvae which I kept meanwhile confined in glasses would eat of 
no leaf but Chelone. 
Six weeks later, the webs were found to be bleached white, and were weather- - 
worn and considerably shrunken; often distorted too by the growth of the plants. 
The effect of the shrinkage was to compress the larvae into a hard, compact mass. 
On opening some of the webs, I invariably found a small percentage of laivae 
which had not passed the third moult. The condition was not that of torpidity, 
nor even of lethargy, for there was an immediate and general movement on the 
disturbance. being made, and many of the larvae would attempt to escape. I 
brought home some of them and placed them upon a young plant of Chelone, 
but they showed no disposition to feed, nor to construct another web. They ran 
over the leaves for a few hours till the whole plant had been thoroughly explored 
and then left it, betaking themselves to the grass. 
I made an excursion to the swamp 7th April, 1875, to determine, if possible, 
how early the caterpillars left the web ; but I found them already scattered, 
though the food-plant was as yet scarcely above the water. Several caterpillars 
which I brought home were placed on a clump of the plant in a vessel of water, 
to prevent escape, and sticks were set to give them opportunity to rest after 
