PROCESSIONNEA. PTEROPHORA. 



51 



in numerous bands, and form a common nest, sometimes three 

 feet high, containing about five hundred cocoons. 



30. A species of bombyx called processionne 'a, has analogous 

 habits, but instead of being useful, is very destructive ; the body 

 of the caterpillars is ash-coloured, with a black back spotted 

 yellow ; they live in society on the oak, and while young, spin a 

 web or tent in common, under which they are all sheltered ; they 

 frequently change their domicil, and generally they leave their 

 retreat in the evening, following a regular order ; one marches 

 ahead, then follows two, then three, and so on, increasing each 

 rank by one; this description of procession has given them their 

 specific name. 



31. The Tinea or Moths, whose caterpillars frequently feed on 

 cloth and peltry, are also nocturnal lepidop'terae. The clothes- 

 moth, fur-moth, grease-moth, grain-moth, and various other 

 destructive moths are mostly very small insects; the largest of 

 them, when arrived at maturity, expanding their wings about 

 eight-tenths of an inch. The Tinea sarcitetla or pack-moth, 

 which is very destructive to woollen, is silver-gray, and has a 

 white dot on each side of the thorax. Its caterpillar lives on 

 cloth and other woollens, weaving with their detached particles 

 mixed with silk a portable tube ; it lengthens it one end in pro- 

 portion as it grows, and slits it to increase its diameter by adding 

 another piece. From this circumstance it obtains the specific 

 name, sarcitella, which is formed from the Latin, sarcio, I patch. 



32. Belonging to the 

 family of nocturnal iepi- 

 dop'tera is the tribe of 

 FISSIPENNJE : this tribe 

 is distinguished from all 

 other lepidop' terse by the 

 singular structure of the 

 wings, which, in a state 

 of repose, are straight 

 and elongated. The four 

 wings, or two of them at 

 least, are slit through their 



whole length into branches, which are barbed on the sides, bear- 

 ing some resemblance to an outspread feather fan. All these 

 anomalous insects are included in a single genus, named PTERO'- 

 PHORA (Jig. 49). 



30. What are the habit? of the Bombyx processionne's. 1 



31. What are Tinese 1 



32. What are Fissipeanae 1 



Fig, 49. PTERO'PHORA. 



