262 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS. 



SNOUT (Hypena rostralis\ which is represented in 

 the accompanying woodcut. 



This is one of the Moths which have received the 

 popular name of Snouts on account of the extremely 

 elongated palpi, which project in front of the head so 

 as to look very much like a proboscis. The antennae 

 of these insects are simple in the females and tufted 

 in the males ; their bodies are slender and furnished 

 with a tuft on the first segment. 



The present species has the upper wings of a 

 yellowish-brown crossed with a dark, grey-edged 



band. It is a common 

 Moth, and one of the 

 earliest to appear in 

 spring. The caterpillar 

 is long and slender, 

 hairy, and when full-fed 



Hypena rostrahs. 



spins a silken web 



among leaves and then changes into a long and 

 slender pupa, having the head portion much elongated 

 in order to contain the ' snout ' or elongated palpi. 



NEXT come the PYRALIDES, which some authors 

 class with the preceding insects. They include, among 

 other insects, the Meal-Moths, and the beautiful group 

 of Pearl-Moths, so called because the surface of their 

 wings has a peculiar sheen, much resembling that of 

 mother-of-pearl. 



WE will take as our first example of these Moths 

 the tcfo familiar TABBY MOTH (Aglossa pinguinalis}. 



