92 OUR HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



thirty British species, of which only a very few trouble 

 us indoors; the rest feed upon lichens, bark, &c., and 

 are therefore found in the open country. The word 

 Tinea is the Latin name for the caterpillar of a clothes 

 moth ; in other words, the Romans applied this name to 

 any grub-like insect that damaged clothes, &c., whatever, 

 according to our modern notions, the species might be. 

 Pliny speaks of " a certain Tinea, which is capable of 

 hanging by a thread, or is clad in a jacket, gradually 

 forming for itself its own garment, like a snail its shell, 

 and whefr this is taken from it it immediately dies ; but 

 when its garment has reached its proper dimensions, it 

 changes into a chrysalis, from which, at the proper time, 

 a moth issues." It was natural, therefore, that this 

 term should be adopted by modern naturalists as the 

 generic name for the insects that possess the above- 

 mentioned habits ; and it is from this genus Tinea that 

 the whole section derives the name Tineas or Tineina, 

 though it is far from being implied by this that the 

 whole group are the foes of textile fabrics. The word, 

 therefore, has nothing to do with our English word 

 " tiny," though it so happens that members of this group 

 are the tiniest of the whole order. 



At least four species of the genus Tinea are included 

 under the general name clothes-moth, i.e., as attacking 

 some kind or other of animal fabric. They are T. pel- 

 lionella, bisellietta, tapetzella, and rusticella. As the 

 habits of these are somewhat different, it will be neces- 

 sary to treat of the species separately. 



And first as to T. pellionella. This is a little creature 

 about half-an-inch in expanse of wings. Its fore wings 

 are of a shining greyish yellow colour, with three in- 

 distinct brownish spots in the middle, and the hind 

 wings are whitish grey. It is an abundant species in 



