2!)'i ORUkH IJIPIDOPTCRA. 



Yponoiin'iitidar. 



A I'AMiLV of ihv Li;pitMjrTrjiA, luadr u|> of very tiiiitll motiift, wIioms Ubial |>al|)i are long 

 •ml slvnilrr,atitl Kttll but »llghtly drvcloiirtl : U it allirtl U> the Tohtiiiciuji; aiid Tlnliox; 

 but frum the furiuvr It dilTi-ry iu the U-iigth of tJic i'uJ|>i, aud fruiu liic latlvr in their non- 

 dc\t>|o|*iiu-ut. 



The IxMiy of th(* iii-sect h tih'ndrr,and iKitnewhat elongati-d aiid drpmtcd. The anli-niUB 

 are wry long aii<l siiiiplv in U>tli m-xcs. Wings aliM> long, or a long uval and arut«- : thry 

 art" rntirf, I'Ut ofli-n ciliiitc i>r frinjred. Tin- rolors an- wliitr or slnte, luarkcd l»y a few 

 band<< of Mark : !K>nu>, liouevfr, nrv ornnnicntot with hriliiant mi*tallic rulurs. 



Thp liirvif un< ofti-n highly injuriuiu to fruit tn-<-!t, f!i|'fcially th<>M- living in romniuni- 

 tlM, whirh Inhabit a common tent after the manner of the Anu-riran tent raterpillars. 

 They have sixtwn feet, and form roowms in the mi«l«t of their wehs. 



Plate xlvii, flg. 7, repnjK-nt* the typiral f'-rm of the family : it is the Mria drgtertUa, 

 from Wi-sTwojin. The sj>erles have not always the long antennn of this one. 



Tiiici<lac. 



This family contains some of the smallest of the Lr.riDoiTEHA. Their wings are narrow, in 

 which respect they difler fn>m the Tobtbiciim:; and their palpi are well develo[>ed. The 

 head is often densely clothed with scales in front : the antenna- are only mMlerately long ; 

 the spiral tongue is short ; and the wings are entire, hut convoluted when at rr«l. 



The lan:e are very drstrurtive to woollens an<l household furniture, car|>et«, clothing, 

 furs, etc. ; and when once they have taken iHisses>ion of a house, it is diiheult to disltdge 

 them. They an- usually ofa dirty white, s«jmetimesof a hrown color, with long hairs from 

 the posterior extn-mily ; hut sometimes al.-^o naked, or furnished with a few hairs scattered 

 over the Inxly. They form coco<ins, which they fn-<|uently carry aUiut with them ; and 

 their depredations consist in gnawinc holes through the woollens, and other goods, when 

 they get possession of them ; so that when unfolded and held up to the light, the articles 

 are often found to l>e {x-rfectly riddled. Ihey undergo transformation in the little cases or 

 cocoons they have formed, and which may often b<- found iu great numbers adhering to 

 spots where they were fixed by the larvn- when aUjut to undergo transformation. 



One of the miist effectual mo<les of preserving wo<dIeiis. furs, etc. from the depretlations 

 of the moth, is to expose them to sunlight, and subject them to frequent examinations. 

 When such articles are kept in dark closets, and left undisturlx-d during t]ie months of 

 June aud July, they will suffer more or less from moths. Tobacco leaves, camphor, Itu- 

 pentlno. are poisonous to the moth, and may be employed as protrctives againM it 



