THE GARDEN TIGER 55 



PLATE XXIX 



THE GARDEN TIGER (1 and 2) 



Most likely you know the caterpillar of this 

 moth a good deal better than the moth itself; 

 for you may find it in almost any garden feed- 

 ing on the leaves of hollyhocks and all sorts of 

 other plants, while you can hardly walk along a 

 hedge bank without noticing it upon those of 

 the dumb-nettles. It is called the "woolly 

 bear," because it is covered all over with long 

 brown hairs which look something like the fur 

 of a bear, and when it has finished growing it 

 spins a silken cocoon amongst the herbage, in 

 which a number of these hairs are always en- 

 tangled. 



But although it is so common one does not 

 often see the moth. For it only flies by night, 

 and hides away so cleverly during the day that 

 one very seldom finds it. But sometimes it will 

 fly through an open window into a well-lighted 

 room, or cling to a street-lamp and gaze at the 

 flame for hours together. 



A curious fact about this moth is that it varies 

 very much in colour and markings. Indeed, it 

 would not be very difficult to make a small 

 collection of "tiger" moths, no two of which 

 should be quite alike. It appears on the wing in 

 July, and you may find the caterpillar in May 

 and June. 



