544 THE TWENTY-PLUME MOTH. 



The rose suffers sadly from the ravages of several of these moths, some of which feed 

 within the bud, and others tie the young leaves together and feed upon the interior. 



THE Tineidae form a very large family of moths, all of which are of small dimensions, 

 and some exceedingly minute. From several points in their structure, Mr. Westwood 

 seems doubtful whether they ought not to be united to the Yponomeutidse ; the general 

 narrowness of their wings, and the rare occurrence of labial palpi, being the points by 

 which they have been separated. The larvae of most of the species form portable cases of 

 various materials, in which they reside, some feeding upon animal, and others upon 

 vegetable substances. The too well-known CLOTHES-MOTH (Tinea tapetzella) belongs to 

 this family. There is another species of the same genus, popularly called the WOLF-MOTH 

 (Tinea gravelld), which haunts granaries and malt-houses, and does great damage by 

 feeding on the grains and fastening them together with its silken web. 



The pretty little LILAC-LEAF EOLLEE MOTH belongs to this family. Those who possess 

 gardens have doubtlessly noticed that many leaves of the common lilac are rolled into a 

 cylindrical form, bound together by silken threads, and that if this little case be opened, 

 out tumbles a small whitish caterpillar with a black head, who loses no time in letting 

 itself to the ground by means of a silken fibre spun from its mouth. How the larva rolls 

 the leaf is quite a mystery, and though it has been watched by many careful observers 

 and seen to fasten its threads, the precise force which makes the leaf assume its cylindrical 

 form is as yet undiscovered. The caterpillar lives within, and feeds upon the rolled 

 portion of the leaf, thus surpassing the feat of Ascanius recorded in the " ^Eneid." The 

 fore wings are golden brown, with pale brown transverse markings, and the hinder pair 

 are edged with long greyish fringes. The larva feeds on the ash and privet as well as on 

 the lilac. 



Another British species belonging to this family is the HONEY- MOTH (Galleriaj, 

 which invades the hives, and contrives to devour the combs, without caring for the 

 poisoned weapons with which the legitimate inhabitants are armed. This creature drives 

 silken tunnels through the combs in every direction, always working under cover, and 

 never exposing more than its shining black head, which is so hard and polished, that it 

 defies all the stings in the hive. These voracious creatures are injurious to the 

 entomologist as well as the apiarian, for if a few of their eggs should happen to be in any 

 comb which forms part of his collection, he will soon find that the entire comb will be 

 converted into one mass of silken tunnels, through which the active little larvae ate 

 passing and repassing with great rapidity. These creatures do not need to turn, as they 

 can travel backwards or forwards with equal speed. 



OUR last example of the Lepidoptera is the beautiful WHITE-PLUME MOTH, an insect 

 which never fails to attract attention, on account of the singular elegance and beauty of 

 its form. 



This insect belongs to as mall family which is remarkable for the fact that, except in 

 one genus, the wings, instead of being broad membranous structures, are cleft into narrow 

 rays, feathered in a most soft and delicate manner. The White-plume Moth is to be seen 

 in the evenings, flying in a curious uncertain manner, and looking not unlike a snow- 

 flake blown casually by the wind. It seems never to fly to any great distance, settling 

 quite openly on leaves or plants, without taking the precaution of clinging to the under 

 side, as is the custom with so many of the smaller moths. When it rests, it folds the 

 wings so that they only look like a single broad ray. The legs of this moth are very long 

 and slender. The colour of this insect is pure white. 



An allied insect, the TWENTY-PLUME MOTH (A lucita hexadactyla), has its wings cleft 

 into a great number of plumes, thus giving rise to its popular name. In reality there 

 are twenty-four plumes, each of the fore wings being cleft into eight divisions, and the 

 hinder wings into four. It is much smaller than the White Plume, and is fond of 

 haunting houses, where it may be seen moving up and down the window panes with 

 much agility. Autumn is the best time for finding this little moth. Its general colour 

 is ashen grey, with two darkish bands, and a white fringe. 



