THE WHITE-SPOT MOTH. 491 



The caterpillar, wliich does the mischief, is a brown creature 

 with a hard and horny skin, and having a head darker than the 

 rest of the body. Like the ordinary Clothes Moths, it does not 

 meddle with articles that are either in common use or that are 

 carefully aired and looked after. But, should a groom throw a 

 horse-rug into a corner, and let it lie there for several days, 

 the larvae of the Tabby Moth find their opportunity, and make 

 sad havoc with the cloth. When full-fed the larva makes a 

 slight cocoon, and therein undergoes its transformations. 



This genus of Moths receives the name of Aglossa, or tongue- 

 less, from the fact that the maxillee, which when united form 

 the proboscis or tongue, are almost entirely absent. The an- 

 tennae of the male are doubly feathered. Like the Meal- 

 Moths, these insects are found abundantly in and about out- 

 houses. There is only one other British species of this genus, 

 namely, the Small Tabby {Aglossa cuprealis). As its name 

 implies, this is a smaller species. The wings are of a light- 

 brown colour, and across them are drawn some indistinct bands 

 of coppery-brown. It is as common as its larger relative, and 

 the larva possesses similar habits. 



Next comes an example of another family, the Luridae or 

 Ennychidse. This is the rare and conspicuous White-Spot 

 {Ennychia octomaculalis), a figiu-e of which is given on 

 Woodcut LVI. Fig. 4. In this genus the antennae are slender, 

 and long in proportion to the insect, and the palpi, which 

 are not quite so long as the head, are united, so as to form a 

 sort of beak. 



This is one of the few Pyralides which it is impossible to 

 mistake. Both pairs of wings are deep-black, and on each 

 wing are two whitish-yellow spots with boldly defined outlines. 

 The hind margins of the wings have a delicate white fringe, 

 which on the inner margin of the lower wings becomes 

 very long and has an exceedingly pretty effect, as it contrasts 

 with the deep-black of the wing which it edges. The body is 

 black, and the abdomen has each segment marked by a very 

 narrow, but very distinct white line, scarcely wider than if 

 scratched with a needle-point. There is scarcely any differ- 

 ence in the colouring of either surface, except that on the 

 lower wings the two white spots coalesce. 



