One could hardly call the Tent-Caterpillars meadow people, for they did
not often leave their trees to crawl upon the ground. Yet the Apple-Tree
Tent-Caterpillars would not allow anybody to call them forest people.
"We live on apple and wild cherry trees," they said, "and you will
almost always find us in the orchards or on the roadside trees. There
are Forest Tent-Caterpillars, but please don't get us mixed with them.
We belong to another branch of the family, the Apple-Tree branch."
The Tree Frog said that he remembered perfectly well when the eggs were
laid on the wild cherry tree on the edge of the meadow. "It was early
last summer," he said, "and the Moth who laid them was a very agreeable
reddish-brown person, about as large as a common Yellow Butterfly. I
remember that she had two light yellow lines on each forewing. Another
Moth came with her, but did not stay. He was smaller than she, and had
the same markings. After he had gone, she asked me if we were ever
visited by the Yellow-Billed Cuckoos."
"Why did she ask that?" said the Garter Snake.
"Don't you know?" exclaimed the Tree Frog. And then he whispered
something to the Garter Snake.