170 CONVERSATIONS ON 



ble man, in the first place to watch the Taret 

 and examine its head, and in the next place 

 not to be too proud to learn from it. I expect 

 he was a naturalist ; was he, Uncle Philip ?" 



" I do not know, boys ; but I should think 

 his discovery of the shield would make him 

 an attentive observer, if he was not so before." 



" Now, Uncle Philip, will you tell us of the 

 tweezers ?" 



"Very willingly, boys. This instrument 

 or tool belongs to the moths which you see 

 flying about at times. The tails are covered 

 with a down, which grows in the form of a 

 thick brush or tuft, and has a shining silky 

 gloss, different in colour from the short hair 

 upon the rest of the body. The moth pulls 

 off this hair to cover its eggs, and the twee- 

 zers are used for that purpose. Here is a pic- 

 ture of the moths." 



Females of the brown and gold-tailed Moths, showing the bunch 

 of down on the tails. 



