TABBY MOTH. 263 



The Moth is rather a pretty one. Its upper wings 

 are yello\vish-bro\vn, with a very dark and nearly 

 black patch at the base of each 

 wing, and a broad stripe of the 

 same colour running parallel 

 with the hind margin, and 

 much wider above than below. Agioss 

 A narrow white streak divides the dark from the 

 lighter portions of the wing. The lower wings are of 

 the same pale dun as the upper pair, but they are 

 without the dark markings, and have only two jagged 

 narrow streaks of white near them ! When the wings 

 are expanded, these marks look as if they were 

 continuations of the corresponding marks of the upper 

 wings. 



This may almost take rank as one of the Clothes 

 Moths, as in the larval state it feeds on old and 

 greasy clothing. Grease, indeed, seems to be a 

 necessity with this insect, which delights especially in 

 old horse-rugs that are neglected by careless grooms. 

 The specific name of pinguinalis signifies fatty or 

 greasy, and is given to the species on account of the 

 substances on which the larva feeds. 



The caterpillar, which does the mischief, is a brown 

 creature with a hard and horny skin, and having a 

 head darker than the rest of the body. Like the 

 ordinary Clothes Moths, it does not meddle with 

 articles that are either in common use or that are care- 

 fully aired and looked after. But, should a groom 

 throw a horse-rug into a corner, and let it lie there for 

 several days, the larvae of the Tabby Moth find their 

 opportunity, and make sad havoc with the cloth. 



