164 THE CONFLUENT-BARRED MOTH. 



dark brown, and having at the tips an eye-like 

 mark with a black centre. The lower winga are 

 plain light brown. 



The Confluent-Barred Motn. 



When first hatched, the caterpillar of this Moth 

 burrows into the leaves of the plant on which it 

 feeds, which is generally the lilac, and there re- 

 mains until it is able to prepare an habitation for 

 itself. It then makes its way out of the burrow, 

 and proceeds to another leaf, which it rolls up, as 

 seen in the illustration, tying the leaf down with 

 silken threads. 



The mode in which it accomplishes a task 

 which is apparently far beyond the physical 

 powers of the creature is very interesting. The 

 little caterpillar begins by spinning threads and 

 fixing one end to the top of the leaf, and the 

 other to the centre of it. These threads are 



