Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 June 1899 — How a Caterpillar Defends Itself. [ARTICLE]

How a Caterpillar Defends Itself.

The caterpillar of the puss moth, quite a common insect in this country, has a most effective way of defending itself, and may prove, as we’shall presently see, dangerous even to human beings. This well-protected caterpillar is provided between its bead and forelegs with a cleft, from which it can protrude an organ capable of squirting out a quantity of very acid fluid to a considerable distance, and when alarmed it habitually makes use of this formidable weapon. In one of the entomological magazines a correspondent states that 'he was observing some of these caterpillars in captivity when he happened to disturb one, and it suddenly squirted out a quantity of fluid in a jet, which struck one of his eyeballs, though his head at the time was quite two feet away from the insect. He rushed off in great agony to a doctor, who told him that the eyeball was in a very dangerous condition. His eye was totally blind for hours after the occurrence, and it was some days before he finally recovered. What the effect of this fluid must be upon smaller creatures we leave our readers to imagine! —Chambers* Journal.