216 



COMMON BRITISH INSECTS. 



brown of different shades, arranged as shown in the 

 illustration. As far as the perfect insect goes, there 

 is but little interest about it, but in the larval condition 

 it is peculiarly interesting, were it only for the fact 

 that everything which can do harm contains within 

 itself an element of interest. We will rapidly trace 

 the life of the Goat Moth, from the deposition of the 

 egg to the development of the perfect insect. 



It has already been mentioned that the female 



Cossus ligniperda. 



Moths of this family possess a long ovipositor. With 

 this instrument the female Goat Moth carefully lodges 

 her eggs deeply in the crevices of the bark of some 

 tree, and there leaves them. In process of time they 

 are hatched, and, tiny as they are, soon are able to 

 bore their way into the tree. They spend four years 

 in the body of the tree, apparently never ceasing to 

 eat, and boring their tunnels through and through 

 the solid wood. These tunnels increase in size 



