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 Yponomeutidas ; 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 gravella), 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 ROLLER MOTH belongs to this family. Those who pos- 

 sess 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 care- 

 ful 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 

 " yEneid." The fore wings are golden brown, with pale brown transverse markings, 

 and the hinder pair are edged with long grayish 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 (GaIIeria\ 

 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 undercover 

 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 are 

 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 a small 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 color of this insect is pure white. 



An allied insect, the TWENTY-PLUME MOTH (Ah'tdta hexadactyld), 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 four wings being cleft into eight divisions, and the 

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

 hnunting 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 color 

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



