Naturalist.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 429, 4 August 1904, Page 3

Naturalist.

CATEEPILLABS IN PBOCEBSION. &SS&HE extensive pine forest which sfotwj covers the dunes of South-weatern France, stretching from the 'Baaaia

d'Arcachon' on the north for many miles southwards towards Biarritz, is the home of the carious Caterpillar ('Bombyx Fythiocampa'), of the same family aB the silkworm. These insects possess a few interesting characteristics. They pass the winter in nests at the pine tree-top—-very snug nests, woven around a bunch of pine needles, and large enough to accommodate a family of from fifty to two hundred.

Spring having arrived, each community leaves its winter home and prepares to set out into an unknown world. On leaving the nest, they form a prooession in single file, each cateraillar in immediate communication with the one preceding and the one following it. In this manner they descend the tall pine and reach terra firms, From this habit they acquire the local name of 'Chenille Proceesionnaire,' or processional caterpillar. Their principal object now to achieve is to bury themselves in the sand; and to do this, some distance has often to be traversed beforo a spot suitable for the purpose can ba found. Especially is this so when the , pise trees happen- to be situated in the streets or gardens of Arcachon; and in such case an interesting and rather amusing sight may be seen, when a procesaioa consisting of seme hundreda of the insects, and perhaps fifteen or sixteen jards in length, wends its way slowly along the road. Care must be taken not to ton ah these caterpillars with the hand, as the hairs create a stinging rash on the [skin. So poisonous, indeed, are they, that sensitive Bkinß feel the rash during the spring, although unconscious of any direct contact with the insect.

In appearance, these caterpillars are of dark brown or neutral colons with orangecoloured spots, and about an inch and a half in length. They are much disliked by the inhabitants of the towns and villages which they infest, who lose few opportunities of destroying them in large numbers,

HOW EATS ABE DESTBOYED ABOABD SHIP.

An apparatus for the extermination of rats on vessels is being put to a practical test by the Manchester Fort Switary Authorities in the Ship Canal The exterminating apparatus (says the ' Daily Despatch') is intended primarily for the extinguishing of fires, but it also ohargeß a ship's hold with • Clayton Gas,' and thereby exterminates rats and all other kinds of vermin on board. As many as 1.200 rats have been destroyed at one operation on a London ship, some 600 on a Liverpool liner, and scores on a Manchester liner a recent occasion.

The method consists in driving the gas produced by the combustion of sulphur in a special apparatus into the lower part of the hold of the ship, which has been mad e as nearly air-tight as possible, and extracting the air from the upper part until the whole of the air space is permeated with gas to the extent of ten per cent. The air extracted is passed over the heated sulphur in the furnace. The rats do not retire to their runs, but seek to reach parts of the ship where the air a pure.