126 



the damage Miss Eaton expected to find an insect of the size of a grass- 

 hopper ; but found instead onlj the empty cocoons of the caterpillars 

 of the small Clothes Moth {Tinea pellionella, Linn.) shown admirably in 

 the excellent cut (Fig. i) which has been kindly lent by Dr. C. V. Riley, 

 the U. S. Entomologist. The felting of the ticking was due to the 

 barbed nature of the morsels of feather. The plumules of feathers and 

 the down of many animals when highly magnified are found to be 

 invested with minute barbs, all pointing the same way. The feathers 

 were cut up by the caterpillars of the moths feeding upon them, and 

 the minute barbed portions of the feathers by the movement and 

 shakmg of the pillow were brought in contact with the pillow case. 



These morsels, if short enough, had 

 sufficient rigidity to work their way 

 into the cotton cloth, and were at 

 once fastened there by their own 

 barbs. The value of these barbs in 

 the making of felt is explained in a 

 / most interesting manner in Mr. Horace 

 T. Martin's excellent work " Castoro- 

 logia," where he describes the manu- 

 facture of lelt from " beaver wool," 



T, c AT -c J , J- . for the shapes of hats, and shows the 



Beaver fur. .Magnihed 250 diameters. ' ' 



From Martin's Castorologia, p. 132. nature of the barbs or "staple" of 

 this wool by the magnified illustration (Fig. 2), which he has been kind 

 enough to lend us. In this illustration, a hair of beaver wool is .shown 

 magnified 250 diameters. 



The Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella, as well as the other two 

 species of Clothes Moths found in this country. Tinea tapetzella with 

 black and white wings, and Tineola bisei/iel/a, with pale, silvery, fawn- 

 coloured wings, is an immigrant from the old world. 



I. Tinea pellionella, Linn., in the perfect state, is a small, gray moth, 

 with three or four black S|)Ots on the wings. These lie flat over 

 the back. The caterpillar lives in a short, muff-shaped case, 

 which it carries about with it. (Fig. i). 



