SCALE-WINGED INSECTS 



323 



fheto by C. N. Mavrayenl] 



CYPRESS-MOTHS 



The inside of tht. cocoons, showing the pupae 



fore wings, and rounded hind wings. A species 

 belonging to this family, with green fore wings 

 and brown hind wings, may be shaken from every 

 oak-tree in summer, and at the same time num- 

 bersof its little green caterpillars will drop them- 

 selves down, and remain swinging at the end of 

 a thread, till they think that the danger is past, 

 when they climb up again. 



The CLOTHES-MOTHS, familiar to every- 

 body, are representatives of an enormous family 

 of small moths, comprising nearly two-thirds 

 of the British species, but only a few live in 

 houses. Most have narrow wings with long 

 fringes, and many feed in tortuous galleries 

 which they eat in the substance of leaves. 

 Some are among the smallest moths known. 



The WHITE PLUME-MOTH, which may be noticed floating about in weedy places like a 

 piece of thistle-down, is a representative of a small family in which the fore wings are divided 

 into three separate feathers, and the hind wings into two. The other species are brown, and 

 smaller. When at rest, they look like small daddy-long-legs. 



The TWENTY-PLUME MOTH is a yellowish-grey species, less than an inch in expanse, often 



to be seen at rest on windows or palings. 



It might easily be taken for a small looper- 



moth, but that each wing is split into six 



feathers. 



SILKWORMS 



We have now completed a rapid survey 

 of the principal groups of Butterflies and 

 Moths, and may fittingly conclude this part 

 of our subject by giving a short account of 

 the historyof SILKWORMS insects which far 

 surpass all other butterflies and moths in 

 their importance to mankind, on account of 

 the valuable product which is obtained from 

 their cocoons. The industry has been 

 carried on from time immemorial in China; 

 and many old Chinese works contain in- 

 teresting particulars, especially relating to 

 the rearing of silkworms by the queens and 

 their ladies, for silk was probably a royal 

 monopoly in old times. These Chinese 

 records date back to about 2200 B.C., when 

 the silk industry was already flourishing; 

 but, according to the usually received tradi- 

 tion, silkworms were first reared during the 

 reign of the Emperor Hwang-te (2640 B.C.) 

 by his queen. The following extracts from 

 M the " Le-he Book of Ceremonies," written 



Pheto kj C. N. Mavrvycni] tSmirna 



between 204 B.C. and 135 B.C., and quoted 

 CYPRESS-CATERPILLARS by Horsfield and Moore in their " Catalogue 



When they leave their cocoons, 'he young caterpillars run up th- tree ta feed of the LepidoptCra of the East India 



