132 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



SO constructed at the narrow end that the moth on emergence 

 can easily pass through ; after the insect's escape, the con- 

 verging fibres forming the "door" spring to again, and the 

 point of exit looks pretty much as before the moth had pushed 

 through. This kind of opening can only be worked from the 

 inside, therefore enemies from without are unable to effect an 

 entrance. 



The moths are out in April and May, and the males may be 

 seen on sunny days flying at a great pace over heaths, moor- 

 lands, and mosses, also about the borders of woods. The 

 female flies at night, but it may occasionally be met with 

 resting on heather or other herbage in the daytime. A freshly 

 emerged female moth will, as a rule, attract as many specimens 

 of the opposite sex as one would care to take ; all that one has 

 to do is to take her in a box to some likely spot, and there await 

 the coming of the males. 



The species seems to be generally distributed throughout 

 the British Isles, but is commoner in some parts than in others, 

 and apparently rare in portions of the Midlands. 



The distribution abroad extends through Europe to North 

 Asia Minor and Armenia, and to Siberia, Amurland, and 

 Ussuri. 



DREPANID^. 



The British species belonging to this family, with one 

 exception, have the tips of the fore wings pointed and curved 

 downwards, forming a sort of hook, hence the English name 

 Hook-tips. The exception is Cilix spiniila, a round winged 

 moth, not at all like other members of the family, but its 

 caterpillar is very like others of the group. 



The bristle and catch arrangement for locking the wings is 

 present in all the species, but the tongue or proboscis is absent, 

 or practically so. The caterpillars are not furnished with anal 



