190 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



Another moth belonging to the same family is also a notable 

 borer into wood. This is the pretty insect called the Wood 

 Leopaed Moth {Zeuzera cesculi), a rarer moth than that which 

 has just been described, though not by any means a scarce insect 

 when the entomologist knows when and where to look for it. 



The larva of the Wood Leopard Moth is rather pretty in 

 colour, being whitish-yellow, spotted regularly with black, and 

 having a reddish-brown patch at either extremity. It lives 

 in the interior of many trees, avoiding, however, those which 

 have a very hard-grained wood. Most of the forest trees are 

 subject to its attacks, and the ordinary fruit-trees of our gardens, 

 such as the apple, pear, chestnut, and walnut, are often seriously 

 damaged by this pretty but destructive insect. Like the goat 

 moth, it makes a strong cocoon, in which it can lie safely 

 throughout its pupal condition, and, as with that insect, the 

 walls of the cocoon are rather rough outside and smooth within. 

 When the cocoon is quite dry it is very brittle, and is apt to 

 snap if carelessly handled. This cocoon may often be found 

 when the trees are cut up for firewood ; and as it geuemUy lies 

 very near the exterior, a strong pocket-knife will sometimes 

 disclose it. 



The perfect insect is remarkably pretty, considering the sim- 

 plicity of its colouring, which consists of black upon white. 

 The former colour, however, is so disposed, that the wings look 

 as if they were made of the minutest miniver, and the feathery 

 antennae add considerably to its beauty. 



Some of the most elegant and curious British Lepidoptera are 

 also among the most destructive. 



The various species belonging to the remarkable family 

 .lEgeriadse, properly called Clear-wing Moths, are terrible ene- 

 mies to the gardener, as well as to the landowner, their larvae 

 feeding upon the pith, and generally preferring the young wood 

 to that of a more advanced growth. In some cases they live in 

 the roots, and are quite as destructive as their relations who 

 prefer the branches. All the Clear-wings are distinguished by 

 the fact that the greater part of their wings is simply mem- 

 braneous and transparent, without the beautiful feathery scales 

 that are worn by the Lepidoptera as an order. Some of them 

 resemble hornets, others are often mistaken for wasps, while 



