i66 STRANGE DWELLINGS. 



and the oval objects are the cocoons which are spun by its 

 larva. 



The Atlas Moth belongs to the same genus as the emperor 

 moth of this country, and is a truly splendid insect, though 

 without the beautiful colours which decorate the emperor. 

 Creamy white, soft yellow, and pale brown are the chief tints 

 of the Atlas Moth, but they are so beautifully blended, the 

 plumage is of so downy a softness, and the expanse of wing is 

 so great, that the Atlas holds its own even amid the more 

 vividly coloured lepidoptera of its own country. 



There are many members of this genus scattered over the 

 different parts of the earth, the finest and largest specimens 

 being found between the tropics. In all the species the antennae 

 of the males are remarkable for their beauty, being deeply 

 feathered, and shaped something like a spear-head with a trian- 

 gular blade, and in many examples there is a loose mem 

 branous talc-like spot in the middle of the wing. 



The cocoons of the Atlas Moth are made of silken thread, 

 much like that of the common silkworm, the cocoon being large 

 in proportion to the size of the moth, and the quantity of silk is 

 necessarily very great. Although the thread is not so fine or 

 glossy as that of the ordinary silkworm, it is strong, smooth, 

 and serviceable, and capable of being woven into fabrics.of much 

 utility. 



We now pass to the second insect represented in the illustra- 

 tion. This is the House builder Moth {Oiketicus Sandersii), 

 an insect which is common in many parts of the West Indies, 

 in several places being so plentiful that the sight of its long 

 pendent domiciles is anything but pleasant to the proprietor 

 of a garden. 



Out of five species of insects belonging to this singular genus, 

 tne present has been selected, because on the whole its habita- 

 tion is more remarkable than that of any other species. Some 

 of them make their nest in a much stiffer form than is depicted 

 in the engraving, taking pieces of slender twigs and forming 

 tliem into hollow cylinders, the twigs bein^ laid parallel to each 



