528 INSECTS AT HOME. 



called Adactyla, or Acjdlsfes Bennetii, which has scarcely the 

 least appearance of belonging to this group of Moths, the 

 wings not being divided at all. The popnlar name of this 

 iMoth is the Plumeless Plume. It is found on our coa-^ts. 

 the caterpillar feeding upon sea-loving plants, such as the 

 Lavender Thrift {Statice limonium). Both pairs of wings of 

 thi^ insect are very long, slender, and sharply pointed. The 

 upper pair are yellowish-brown with a few small black spots, 

 and the under pair simply pale brown. 



The commonest and one of the prettiest of the Plume 

 Moths is shown on Plate XVII. Fig. 5. It is popularly known 

 as the Latige White Plume, tlie Skeleton, or the Phantom, all 

 names being perfectly 'appropriate. Its scientific name is 

 Pterophorus pentadactylus. 



This very beautiful though simply coloured insect has the 

 wings pure snowy-white, and divided into separate plumes, as 

 shown in the illustration. In all cases the feathering of the 

 plumes is much wider on the inner than the outer side of the 

 nervure, very much like the structure of an ordinary bird's 

 feather. If the wings be examined with the microscope, it 

 will be seen that the long fiinges which form the feathering- 

 are composed of the ordinary scales which cover the wings of 

 the Lepidoptera, such scale being drawn out to a great length. 

 Indeed, length of scale is one of the leading characteristics of 

 these Moths, and the scales which clothe the base of the wings 

 are also remarkable for their length. When viewed by a 

 side light, these plumes have a satiny lustre, which quite dis- 

 appears when they are viewed through a magnifying-glass, so 

 as to render each of the delicate filaments visible. 



The Moth conceals itself during the day, making its appear- 

 ance at dusk, when it flutters about like a snow-flake driven at 

 random by the wind. It never makes a long flight, but if 

 disturbed in one spot, just flits a yard or two and again settles 

 on some leaf, where its white, outstretched, though not outspread 

 wings render it very conspicuous when at rest. It never folds 

 its wings to its body as do so many Moths, but remains with 

 them stretched on either side to their very fullest extent, as if 

 actually courting observation. 



