They leave their nest, situated at the top of a bough, in profound darkness; they go down the denuded pole till they come to the nearest branch that has not yet been gnawed, a branch which becomes lower and lower by degrees as the consumers finish stripping the upper storeys; they climb up this untouched branch and spread over the green needles.
When they have had their suppers and begin to feel the keen night air, the next thing is to return to the shelter of the house.

Measured in a straight line, the distance is not great, hardly an arm's length; but it cannot be covered in this way on foot.

The caterpillars have to climb down from one crossing to the next, from the needle to the twig, from the twig to the branch, from the branch to the bough and from the bough, by a no less angular path, to go back home.

It is useless to rely upon sight as a guide on this long and erratic journey.

The Processionary, it is true, has five ocular specks on either side of his head, but they are so infinitesimal, so difficult to make out through the magnifying-glass, that we cannot attribute to them any great power of vision.