270 
THE STUDY OF INSECTS . 
Fig. 321.—A Measuring-worm. 
(Coe-lod'a-sys), of which we have several species. One of 
these is represented by Figure 320. At the left in the figure 
is shown a front view of the longest tubercle. 
Superfamily GEOMETRINA (Ge-o-me-tri'na). 
The Geometrids ( Ge-om’e-trids ), or the Measuring-worms. 
The peculiar way in which the larvae of Geometrids 
walk attracts general attention, and has won for them 
the name of Measuring-worms 
(Fig. 321). As children we had 
the dislike for “worms’' that is 
common to people that are un¬ 
educated to the beauties of na¬ 
ture. All larvae were “ worms 
and we never thought of admir¬ 
ing their beautiful colors, or of 
watching them build interesting houses, or of keeping them 
till they spun their silken cocoons. But the measuring- 
worms were excepted from this dislike. We always found 
these delicate, greenish or yellowish caterpillars with their 
looping motion vastly interesting. We allowed them to 
measure our fingers with their little tickling feet, and we 
counted each length as a yard. We were always delighted 
with the way they had of standing on their hind legs, rear¬ 
ing the body up into the air, and moving the head around, 
as if looking at the scenery. And then, if one became 
frightened in any way, it would drop suddenly, suspended 
by a silken cord, which it seemed to have mysteriously con¬ 
cealed in its mouth; and down it would go, doubling and 
whirling around and around frantically until it reached the 
ground. 
Sometimes we found these fellows on branches of trees, 
clinging by their hind legs, standing out straight, stiff, and 
motionless, and appearing like twigs of the tree. We had 
not heard then of protective resemblances, and did not 
know that the assuming of this strange attitude protected 
