a first
caterpillar whom I will call the leader of the march or file, though
the word leader, which I use for the want of a better, is a little out
of place here. Nothing, in fact, distinguishes this caterpillar from
the others: it just depends upon the order in which they happen to line
up; and mere chance brings him to the front. Among the Processionaries,
every captain is an officer of fortune. The actual leader leads;
presently he will be a subaltern, if the line should break up in
consequence of some accident and be formed anew in a different order.

His temporary functions give him an attitude of his own. While the
others follow passively in a close file, he, the captain, tosses
himself about and with an abrupt movement flings the front of his body
hither and thither. As he marches ahead he seems to be seeking his way.
Does he in point of fact explore the country? Does he choose the most
practicable places? Or are his hesitations merely the result of the
absence of a guiding thread on ground that has not yet been covered?
His subordinates follow very placidly, reassured by the cord which they
hold between their legs; he, deprived of that support, is uneasy.

Why cannot I read what passes under his black, shiny skull, so like a
drop of tar to look at? To judge by actions, there is here a modicum of
discernment which is able, after experimenting, to recognize excessive
roughnesses, over-slippery surfaces, dusty places that offer no
resistance and, above all, the threads left by other excursionists.
This is all or nearly all that my long acquaintance with the
Processionaries has taught me as to their mentality. Poor brains,
indeed; poor creatures, whose commonwealth has its safety hanging upon
a thread!

The processions vary greatly in length. The finest that I have seen
manoeuvring on the ground measured twelve or thirteen yards and
numbered about three hundred caterpillars, drawn up with absolute
precision in a wavy line. But, if there were only two in a row the
order would still be perfect: the second touches and follows the first.

By February I have processions of all lengths in the greenhouse. What
tricks can I play upon them? I see only two: to do away with the
leader; and to cut the thread.

The suppression of the leader of the file produces nothing striking. If
the thing is done without creating a disturbance, the procession does
not alter its ways at all. The second caterpillar, promoted to captain,