30 
THE CATERPILLAR. 
drink, and then hold up its head to let the water 
run down its throat, like a hen. 
When a hairy caterpillar was seen to run 
over the snow, it used to he regarded as a sign 
that the following summer would be cold and 
ungenial, and the harvest sure to fail. But 
the sign has so often been proved untrue, 
that we hope no one is credulous enough to 
believe it. 
The fine hairs with which some caterpillars 
are clothed, have the disagreeable property of 
irritating the skin, as if you had touched a nettle. 
In hot countries, they sting much more sharply 
than they do here, and it is hardly safe to handle 
them. 
Reaumur, the famous naturalist, speaks very 
feelingly on the subject. When he was tra¬ 
velling in America, he took up a caterpillar 
that was covered with hair. The hairs instantly 
ran into his fingers, and made them smart and 
swell; and as he was unlucky enough to touch 
his face, that inflamed and smarted too; and his 
eyes were completely swelled up. Some ladies 
were with him, who took care not to meddle with 
the caterpillar; but they did not escape much 
better. The fine hairs that were floating about 
in the air, penetrated their skins, and stung them 
almost as sharply. 
