oe 
into the ecapitatee and capitatze, the former with- 
out distinct scaly heads, and the latter with dis- 
tinct heads; and if the capitate: be divided into 
apode, hexapode, and hyperhexapode, the first 
without legs or prolegs, the second with six scaly 
legs but without prolegs, and the third with six 
legs and a variable number of membranous pro- 
legs; then the last of these subdivisions, the 
hyperhexapode, is identical with caterpillars ; 
and while scientifically exact, it so precisely com- 
prises the larvee of butterflies, moths, and saw- 
flies, as almost exactly to correspond with the 
sense in which the word caterpillar is popularly 
understood. 
We must refer to our articles BurTHrriy, 
Morn, and Saw-Fty, for a notice of the chief 
genera and most mischievous species of cater- 
pillars, as well as for hints respecting the best 
methods of preventing their devastations; and 
shall here restrict ourselves to a few cursory en- 
tomological remarks respecting the structure 
_ and habits of caterpillars. 
A caterpillar, on its exclusion from the egg, is 
of comparatively very small size; but it has a 
_ voracious appetite, and it grows rapidly in size. 
Its cuticle, however, is but slightly if at all ex- 
tensible, and requires to be cast; the succeeding 
cuticle is also inextensible, and requires to be 
cast; and thus cuticle after cuticle is thrown off, 
in a series of moulting, till the creature attains 
its full size, and is ready for transmutation into 
the future form of its existence. While an old 
cuticle is becoming too tight, a new one is form- 
ing beneath ; and when the former has fully 
served its purpose, it gradually rends along the 
back, till the animal completely shakes it off, 
and appears with his new coat, and of a larger 
size. During the progress of the moult, the 
caterpillar is sluggish and does not eat; but 
whenever it is completed, he resumes his acti- 
vity, and displays his former voracity. 
Almost all caterpillars have a fleshy body, and 
an elongated, cylindrical, and serially annular 
form. ‘The series of conjoined rings constituting 
the cylinder, amounts to thirteen; and the first 
of the rings represents the head of the perfect 
insect, the second, the third, and the fourth re- 
present the thorax, and the remainder represent 
the abdomen. On each side of the body are nine 
breathing spiracles. The head, in most instances, 
is more scaly than any of the other rings ; its 
mouth is furnished with a pair of very strong 
jaws, two fleshy under-jaws with their two palpi, 
and an underlip with its two palpi; and the head 
itself is furnished with two short conical anten- 
nee, and, on each side, with six minute shining 
tubercles, which appear to be the rudimental 
eyes of the perfect insect. 
Most caterpillars are covered with hairs, some 
| with tubercles or warts, and a few are covered 
with small spines or bristles. The hairs or spines 
of all appear to be designed for protection ; those 
of one species are as hard and rigid as wire ; 
CATERPILLAR. 
(33 
those of many species produce various degrees of 
irritation, from a slight uneasiness to a pungent 
stinging like that caused by the nettle; and 
those of not a few, or perhaps of the larger pro- 
portion, enable the insects to protect themselves 
somewhat in the manner of the hedgehog, or to 
let themselves fall without injury from consider- 
able heights. ' 
All caterpillars have both legs and prolegs, 
the former permanent, and the latter temporary. 
The legs are horny and pointed; they constitute 
the rudiments of the legs of the butterflies which 
are destined to evolve from the caterpillars; and 
they amount to three pairs, and are attached to 
the three first segments of the body, or destined 
thorax of the perfect insect. The prolegs are 
short, soft, and conical; they belong to merely 
the larva condition of the insects; and they vary 
in number, in the different species, from two to 
five pairs. The geometrical caterpillars have two 
pairs of prolegs, on respectively the last. and the 
ninth segments of their body; and the caterpil- 
lars of the common cabbage butterfly, have five 
pairs, on respectively the sixth, seventh, eighth, 
ninth, and twelfth segments of their body. The 
feet of prolegs are circular discs or suckers, each 
surrounded with a series of minute, slender, 
horny hooks; and by means of these, the cater- 
pillars either expedite their movements, or take 
a firm hold of leaves or other objects to which 
they wish, for a time, to attach their bodies. 
Caterpillars spin threads somewhat in the 
manner of spiders; some, to form mimic cables 
for protecting or suspending their bodies ; some, 
to construct cells and nests as places of retreat ; 
some, to form tents as places of inhabitation ; 
and some, to form enveloping cocoons around 
their chrysalis condition, or while they are in 
process of transformation from caterpillars to 
butterflies. The spinneret appears in the form 
of a small tube or protuberance between the labi- 
um and the foremost pair of limbs; it consists 
of alternate portions of horny and membrana- 
ceous matter, and terminates in a single orifice 
shaped somewhat like the end of a writing-pen ; 
two ducts bring up the liquid silk, or material 
for the thread, from two, long, slender, tortuous 
sacculi, to this terminating orifice; and these 
sacculi run down the interior of the sides of the 
caterpillar, and secrete the silky matter in the 
form of a cohesive mucilaginous-looking fluid, 
and they vary in length, capacity, and secretive 
power, in the different species of caterpillars, ac- 
cording to the quantity of silky matter which 
the habits of the several species require. Some 
caterpillars suspend themselves upon twigs or 
branches, by means of a belt of their own silken 
threads wound round their body; some, with a 
similar effect to the spider, though in a different 
manner, descend and ascend their tiny silken 
cables at pleasure; some combine in great socie- 
ties, to weave tents, and others to construct nests 
or halls or many-celied mansions for their com- 
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