502 INSECTS AT HOME. 



shown. I have watched these larvae carefully, and never yet 

 saw one of them protrude itself further from the mouth of the 

 timuel than it could be protected by the hard covering of the 

 head and tlie next three segments. 



With regard to my own specimens of devoured combs, there 

 was good reason for the vast number of caterpillars. They 

 came from a hive nearly all the inhabitants of which had died 

 in the winter, so that the Honey-comb Moths found no difficulty 

 in getting among the combs, and depositing their eggs when 

 and where they liked. 



In this insect the sexes may be at once distinguished by the 

 very different structure of the palpi. Fig. c shows the palpus 

 of the male, and Fig. b that of the female. 



This is not the only species of Moth that feeds on tlie honey- 

 comb. There is, for example, the Green-Shaded Honey- 

 Comb Moth {Melia sociella), which is rather more gaily 

 coloured than the preceding insect, and has on the disc of its 

 upper wings a yellowish streak spotted with black dots ; and 

 the Honey Moth (Achroia grisella), a much smaller species, 

 having brown wings covered with tiny black dots. All the 

 caterpillars of the comb-eating Moths possess similar habits. 



