THE LITHOSIANS. 341 



and transformations of the ^gerians ; or we may begin 

 with the smaller species, with hairy caterpillars, whose hab- 

 its and transformations are like those of the Glaucopidians, 

 and which resemble the latter closely in the winged state ; 

 and thus the series, from Prooris and other moth-like 

 Sphinges to the true Moths, will be uninterrupted. The 

 latter, on the whole, seems to be the most natural course, 

 and it agrees with the arrangement of Dr. Boisduval, which 

 I shall follow, with some slight changes only. 



Agreeably to this arrangement the first family of the Bom- 

 byces will be the Lithosians (Lithosiad^), so named from 

 two Greek words,* meaning a stone, and to live ; for the 

 caterpillars of many of these insects live in stony places, 

 and devour the lichens growing on rocks. (Such also are 

 the habits of Giaucopis Pholus j. ^^ 



(Fig. 164), one of the Glaucopid- 

 ians.) On this account they are 

 not properly subjects for notice in 

 this essay ; but as some of the 

 larger species are grass-eaters, are 

 conspicuous for their beauty, and naturally cqnduct to 

 another family particularly obnoxious to the cultivators of 

 the soil, it may be interesting to point out their distinguish- 

 ing traits. 



The Lithosians are slender-bodied moths, mostly of small 

 size, whose rather narrow upper or fore wings, when at 

 rest, generally lie flatly on the top of the back, crossing 

 or overlapping each other on their inner margins, and 

 entirely covering the under wings, which are folded longi- 

 tudinally, and, as it were, moulded around the body ; more 

 rarely the wings slope a little at the sides, and cover the 

 back like a low roof. The antennae are rather long, and 

 bristle-formed ; sometimes naked in both sexes, more often 

 slightly feathered with a double row of short hairs beneath, 



* This is the derivation given by M. Godart, Hist. Nat. L^pidopt. de France, 

 Vol. V. p. 10. 



