It seems to be sticking them fast to its body.
It is really binding them together by a saliva-like substance from its mouth.
It draws out little glistening threads that harden into silk as soon as they touch the water.
Queer saliva you think.
But the caddice larva does not find it queer. It is used to saliva that hardens into silk.
Yes, that is the way the larva of the aphis lion and of the ant lion made their cocoons. They spun out silk in this manner.
The caddice larva makes its house of silk and sand and also lines it with a beautiful covering of fine silk.
Yes, May, it papers its walls with silk.
You see it did not hurt the caddice larva to take away its house; it immediately went to work to build another.
Why not pull it out, instead of breaking its house to pieces?