NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
•9 
Clothes Moth. — There are several kinds of very small moth; that are 
deservedly looked upon as domestic pets, but of thenr all the well-known clothes 
moth (Tinia tafietzel/a) is far the worst. Among our carpets and wardrobes it is a 
nuisance, and is out of pl.ace ; but in its place it is one of the most useful and 
necessary of all minute creatures. To it is allotted a vast and important mission 
in life, which it performs most efficiently. Hair of all kinds, whether in the form 
that grows on our heads, or on the bodies of horses, sheep and other mammals, 
or as feathers in the case of birds, is almost indestructible. It resists the ravages 
of time and weather, and passes almost un;hinged through the digestive organs 
of bird and beast alike, a< an examination of the excreta of flesh-eating animals, 
or the pellets thrown up by owls is sure to prove. Were it not for the clothes 
moth, our hedges, and under almost everything, would be covered and ruined by 
cast off masses of wool, hair and feathers, all or nearly all of which it clears away. 
Its larva is to be found everywhere, in the rich man’s carpet, in the poultry yard, 
and in the horsehair lining of a magpie’s nest on the top of the lonely tree. This 
tiny insect is one of Nature’s nightly scavengers. 
Market IVeston, Thetford. EDMUND ThO.MAS Daubf.NY. 
The Convolvtilus Hawk-Moth. — Thismcth has been more abundant here, 
too, this summer than in previous years, according to the information of my local 
friends who study Lepidoptera. Has the exceedingly low rainfall of last summer 
been favourable to their increase ? I had a specimen brought to me alive and was 
somewhat astonished at the length of its bifarious proboscis, which it curled up 
like a watch-spring, and placed out of sight. After the moth was dead I unwound 
the proboscis and carefully measured it, and found it was 3i inches long, while the 
moth’s body was only 2 inches long. 
St. Helen' i, near Hastings. WALTER FIELD. 
December <), 1901. 
Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth. — On October i, last, I saw one of the 
above-mentioned species flying at some ivy. Is it not rather late ? Also on 
November 27, I saw a small tortoise-shell butterfly, and a small moth, whose 
species I do not know, fluttering in a room. They had evidently hybernated and 
had been awakened by the heat of the room. 
December i, 1901. A Rugby Selbornian. 
A Spider at Work. — I was sitting last month, reading by the fire, when 
suddenly looking up, my attention was attracted by a tiny spider, that seemed 
busily engaged in letting itself up and down from the mantelpiece. I put my 
book down and began watching the active little creature. It had made a line of 
silk along the top of the mantelpiece, and from this had let itself down for about 
a foot and was swinging in mid-air. After watching carefully, I found it was 
most busy. It appeared to be knitting its silk into tiny balls with its third pair of 
legs. It did not seem to use the others at all ; but this pair went so fast, I could 
hardly see them. In a few seconds it had finished a tiny ball, hardly the size of a 
pin’s head. This it carried up its lader and fastened it on to the line of silk on the 
mantelpiece. As soon as it had done this it let itself down again and waited a 
few minutes, as if to rest, then it began knitting another little ball, and so it went 
on. What could it have been doing ? 
Parnell Jones. 
SELBORNE SOCIETY NOTICES. 
Council Meetings. — in the hope of getting a better attendance at the 
meetings of the Council, it has been decided that they shall be held monthly — 
on the third Tuesday. The notice therefore in the December number calling 
a meeting for January 7 i& cancelled. Should any business of importance occur 
in the interval the Secretary will convene a special meeting as hitherto. 
Newt Members. — S. E. Evans, Esq., Doncaster ; C. R. Bailey, Esq., 
Hunter Street, W.C. ; John Horne, Esq., Buckhurst Hill; Louis .A.mes, Esq., 
Long Horsley ; Ed. W. Winterbotham, Esq., J.P., Stroud; Evans Jones, 
Esq., Newbury ; T. L. Ashby, Esq., St. Leonards. 
Donutious and Subscriptions. — The Council begs to acknowledge 
with thanks the receipt of the following donation : Countess von Arnim, 20s. ; 
