IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 
153 
^ The last little fellow I shall tell you about — only a quarter of 
an inch long — is not really a builder ; in fact, he's a murderer and 
a thief, and gets his house in a very bad way. He has a fancy for 
a snail shell to live in, and he don't object to snail meat to eat. So 
he fixes himself by a sucker to the snail shell, holds a pair of pin- 
cers ready, and when the poor snail is obliged to open his door for 
a little air, the murderer cuts the muscle which holds the door shut. 
Then, since the snail can no longer keep him out, he can eat him 
up at his leisure, and then go into his house to live. Then, when 
he casts his skin for the last time, he just stuffs the old coat into 
the snail's open door, and there he is, safe and dark, till he is ready 
to come out with his wings, a new bug ; for this naughty robber 
never gets to be a beautiful, innocent Butterfly, but a miserable 
little black bug, as he deserves to be. 
