THE CLOTHES MOTH. 227 



dwelling, and then feeds on the lichens which 

 grow upon old walls. Out of the fluffy seeds of 

 the willow one Tinea forms a sort of muff in which 

 it lives. Other species of the group form little 

 tents upon the leaves of the elm, oak, and many 

 kinds of fruit-trees, these cases being so minute 

 as to be unobserved unless the insect is moving 

 within. One of the most remarkable of all the 

 species is one which inhabits the leaves of the 

 nettle. The tent looks like a tiny hedgehog, as it 

 is formed of minute portions of the leaf glued to- 

 gether and studded all over with the stinging hairs 

 of the nettle. 



Mr. James Rennie in his " Insect Architecture " 

 gives such an excellent description of the weaving 

 operations of the Pellionella grub that I cannot do 

 better than quote his observations upon it : " It 

 selected a single hair for the foundation of its in- 

 tended structure ; this it cut very near the skin in 

 order, we suppose, to have as long as possible, and 

 placed it in a line with its body. It then immedi- 

 ately cut another, and placing it parallel to the. 

 first, bound both together with a thread of its own 

 silk. The same process was repeated with other 



