NATURAL HISTORY. 171 



" Uncle Philip, you said that the moth pulled 

 this hair off to cover its eggs ; are they easily 

 frozen V 



" Not very easily, boys ; but you are mis- 

 taken in thinking that the moth covers these 

 eggs to keep off the cold; for as she lays 

 them in July and August, and covers them at 

 that time, it cannot be to keep off the cold." 

 " What is it for, then, Uncle Philip ?" 

 " To keep off the summer heat, boys." 

 " Why, Uncle Philip ! who ever heard of 

 covering a thing up in hair or wool to keep 

 off heat?" 



" I have heard of it, and seen it too, boys. 

 It may seem strange, but it is true, that down 

 and wool, and such things, are nearly as good 

 to protect an animal from very great outward 

 heat as they are to keep off very severe cold. 

 When I was at Naples, in Italy, it was sum- 

 mer; the climate is a very warm one. 

 The country people were in the habit of bring- 

 ing snow into the city from Mount Vesuvius, 

 and every morning I could see them coming 

 in with their snow, which they sell to the 

 rich to use for cooling things : and they kept 

 it from melting with straw and wool. And 

 in our own country, especially at the south, it 



