M O T H. 



289 



that we possess such an extensive series of these 

 insects. Our vegetation is sufficiently varied arid 

 luxuriant to support a great number of species, whilst 

 the great duration of twilight in our latitudes calls 

 for a greater supply of species, which appear only 

 during its continuance, than is probably to be found 

 in tropical climates, where the twilight is but of very 

 short duration. In our country, for instance, the 

 functions of these insects appear to be twofold ; first, 

 as plant-feeders ; and, second, as serving for food to 

 the bats and other nocturnal vertebrata ; but in the 

 tropical climates, where the butterflies so far exceed 

 both in number and size our few diurnal lepidoptera, 

 there exists but little necessity for the former, whilst 

 in the latter respect they are still less needed ; 

 because, as stated in the article BAT, the tropical 

 species of this tribe of animals come abroad by day 

 at all hours, their ravages extending to fruits, flowers, 

 the juices of trees, animal substances of all kinds, 

 and, in short, to everything consumable. Hence we 

 may perhaps look upon the temperate parts of the 

 globe as the metropolis of this tribe of insects, as well 

 as of the Brachclytra, &c. 



As may be supposed, from the great extent of this 

 tribe of insects, there is very great diversity in their 

 size, structure, habits, colours, &c. From the gigantic 

 Erebus strix of South America, which measures very 

 nearly a foot across the wings, and the Death's-head 

 moth, capable of instilling terror into an ignorant and 

 superstitious multitude, down to the pigmy gilded 

 creature which revels upon the parenchyma of a 

 rose-leaf, finding between its upper and lower surfaces 

 room "enough and to spare" for its abode, we have 

 every gradation of size. The structure of many of 

 these insects in the perfect state is very interesting 

 and diversified. In some, formed for rapid and long- 

 continued flight, the body is robust and conical, and 

 the wing-nerves of great strength ; whilst in the 

 feeble Geometrte, which flit around the hedge-rows 

 occasionally by day, the whole structure is light ; but 

 it is to the Alucitce and Pterophori that we may best 

 ..apply the term " as light as a feather," because their 

 wings are slit from the tip almost to the base into 

 distinct fringed pieces, which have all the appearance 



Bombyx (Sa(.urnia/ PiomcUieu, male. 



of separate feathers. In many moths we find the 

 mouth completely obsolete, there being not the least 

 NAT, HIST. Vor.. III. 



vestige of the spiral tongue, which forms so conspicu- 

 ous a character of the order. But it is in the diver- 

 sity of the sexes that we often find the greatest 

 variation, the males being generally of smaller size 

 and brighter colours than the females ; their antenna? 

 are also often very beautifully ornamented with lateral 

 branches, so as to resemble a double comb (an ex- 

 ample of which may be given in the Saturnia Prome- 

 tfica, the early history of which we have given in our 

 article CATERPILLAR), whilst those of the" females are 

 comparatively simple ; but a still greater diversity ex- 

 ists between the sexes of certain species, the femafes of 

 which are completely wingless, and their bodies mis- 

 shapen ; so that it is impossible, except by direct ob- 

 servation, to suppose that the male and female can 

 belong to one and the same species. This, how- 

 ever, is the case with but very few species ; but 

 in almost every instance the males of these species 

 are furnished with beautifully pectinated antenna?. 

 Of the habits of these insecis we can here sav but 

 little ; they are so exceedingly various, that'they 

 have already formed, arid will continue to form, 

 the subjects of various articles wherein the different 

 groups are treated upon in detail. We may, however, 

 here remark, that whilst the majority of the species 

 fly by twilight, or during the night, there are some 

 which delight in the hottest sunshine, as the hum- 

 ming-bird hawk moth, the SCSUE, &c. Many species 

 delight to hover, during the twilight, over the long- 

 tubed flowers, from which, whilst on the wing, 

 they extract the nectar with their long spiral tongue, 

 whilst others are very sluggish, scarcely showing any 

 animation except during the short period of their 

 coupling. Of course, we need hardly mention that all 

 these moths have proceeded from larvae hatched from 

 eggs deposited by parent insects ; but it may perhaps 

 be necessary to remind some of our readers, wop have 

 paid but little attention to these subjects, that such is 

 the fact. The writer had, for example, much diffi- 

 culty, a short time ago, in making a non-natural- 

 history reader comprehend that "the moth" had got 

 into his wardrobe. He saw no moths flying about, 

 it was true, but the little woollen cases formed by 

 the caterpillars of this particular group of moths 

 (of which there are many species, Tinea vestianelln, 

 pcllionclla, tapetzella, &c.) were plentiful enough ; 

 but we could scarcely make our friend comprehend 

 how these could possibly be "the moths." And this 

 brings us to speak of the different habits of the larvae 

 or caterpillars of these insects ; but we have need 

 only to refer to our article CATERPILLAR, where we 

 have given ample details upon this part of the subject, 

 as well as to the articles CHRYSALIS and COCOON, 

 considering it necessary in this place merely to state, 

 that amongst, lepidopterous insects, which" form co- 

 coons, the far greater, and almost entire number, are 

 moths, a few exceptions only occurring in the butter- 

 flies ; and that the form of the chrysalis, owing to its 

 being enclosed in a cocoon, is necessarily conical, 

 und not armed with those angulated points observable 

 in the crysalides of butterflies, and which would be 

 troublesome to a chrysalis enclosed in a cocoon. 



Of the colours of this group of insects, it may be in 

 general said that they are obscure, and but slightly 

 varied, exhibiting none of that splendid appearance 

 which is seen with so much delight in the butterfly ; 

 exceptions, however, occur, as we have stated in the 

 article CATOCALA. 



There is a circumstance connected with these 

 T 



