HETEROCERA (MOTHS). 



The moths are the most generalized forms of the 

 Lepidoptera. The American silkworm, Telea Poly- 

 phemus (Fig. 149, ^ , p. 197), may be taken as a type. 

 Sometimes the clothes-moth, Tinea (Fig. i53,y,p. 201), 

 can be more easily obtained. The body of Telea is 

 large, stout, and hairy. When these hairs are scraped 

 away, the three rings of the thorax are seen to be 

 separated by well-marked sutures. In Tinea, Fig. 153, 

 the mesothorax and metathorax are distinctly seen, and 

 are simpler than in Telea. In the moths, the connec- 

 tion between the thorax and abdomen is broader, as a 

 rule, than in butterflies. 



The antennae of Telea (see Fig. 149) are feather- 

 like — one characteristic form among moths. Those 

 of the male are much broader, larger, and more 

 beautiful than those of the female. The mouth parts 

 are extremely small and weak, and the insect laps 

 up its food, such an eating-apparatus indicating that 

 the moth is not long-lived. The fore-legs are devel- 

 oped, and like the second and third pairs are useful 

 for supporting the insect. The wings are very large, 

 and when at rest are held in a drooping instead of an 

 erect position. These moths fly chiefly at night. 



The eggs are usually laid on the lower side of oak 

 leaves. While it is true that most butterflies and 



