138 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



see whether it is hairy or smooth, if he will then notice the palpi, whether 

 the maxillary palpi are developed and to what extent, and whether the labial 

 palpi are slender, ascending or drooping; whether the second joint is densely 

 clothed with scales, or bears a long protruding tuft ; and if he will further 

 notice the form of the hind-wings, which are either well rounded or very 

 pointed, or indented toward the tip, he will be perfectly surprised to see how 

 easily he will arrange these insects into genera by their structure." 



In the Tineidse, the labial palpi are short and thick. For an example of 

 this family take the little Ochsenheimeria Birdella } which we may find in 

 meadows in July. The larvae live from the beginning of February to the end 

 of May in grass stems. Two other species also occur now, viz. hisontella 

 and vaculella. The first-named occurs in heathy places, the other is said to 

 frequent houses in some places. They are all three little greyish- brown 

 moths, about half-an-inch or less in expanse. Birdella is the largest of them 

 and has the antennas much thickened with scales as far as the middle ; hison- 

 tella has the antennas only very slightly thickened, whilst in vacculella they 

 are perfectly simple. 



The common "clothes moth" (Tinea pellionella) , may be taken as an 

 example of the genus Tinea, Inspecting one with a lens you will see it has 

 a hairy head, and you will notice that the maxillary palpi are folded, 

 while the labial palpi are cylindric and hairy. The fore-wings are oblong and 

 ovate, and the hind ones ovate and fringed. The species of this genus occurr- 

 ing in July are : Tinea imella (fore-wings with a transparent spot on the 

 disk, shining fuscous), T, ferruginella (do., dark fuscous), T. tapeteella 

 (basal half black, apical half whitish), T. caprimulgetta (dark fore-wings, 

 with large whitish marginal spots, occurs about rotten wood), T. merdetta 

 (occurs chiefly in Lancashire, fore-wings nearly unicolorous, but with a short 

 blackish streak from the base near the costa), and T. simpliciella (fore- wings 

 violet brown with yellowish tinge, hind- wings greyish purple, occurs at Dover 

 and Mickleham). One or two others also occur. 



In the Hyponomeutidce, of which the well-known Hyponomeuta padella 

 may be taken as an example, the maxillary palpi are altogether absent, and 

 the labial palpi short. The head is rough and the fore-wings elongate. 



In the genera Swammerdamia and Scythropia the head is rough. In the 

 first-named the palpi are porrected, in the other they are drooping. The grey 

 violet-tinged lutarella may be taken as an example of the former and the 

 white fuscous dotted cratagella is the only British representative of the 

 latter. In the genera Hyponomeuta, AnesycMa, and Prays, the head is 

 smooth and the palpi reflexed. Besides the well-known little ermine moth 

 (Hyponomeuta padella), which we are sure to see in plenty about every 



