THE HABITS AND STRUCTURE OF MOTHS. 
XXVII 
0. Morris says: “I wrote of my own knowledge; I remem¬ 
ber the time, place, and circumstance well. I was then 
at Bromsgrove School, and was out ‘hunting 5 one evening ; 
and I remember that it was very early and before actual 
dusk, on a hill or risiug ground rather, some two or three 
miles from the town, near Stoke Court, where I saw many 
of these moths, the only time I ever saw them alive, flying 
up and down and very fast, and hard to catch, near or above 
the top of an old-fashioned high hedge, on the side of a wide, 
grassy lane. I could not help being struck by the curious 
stridulous sound they made as they flew.” 
Many moths are exceedingly injurious, in the larval state, 
to vegetation, to bees, and to articles of clothing. Some 
moths—such as the Goat Moth (Cossus ligniperda) and the 
Wood Leopard Moth (Zeuzera cesculi), as well as all the 
Clearwings, except the Bee Hawk-Moths—feed in the wood 
or in the roots of various trees and plants, sometimes killing 
them. One of the most destructive of these is the Currant 
Clearwing, which has now been introduced into most parts 
of the world. The currant and gooseberry are also liable to 
be attacked by the larvae of other moths, chief among which 
may be mentioned the Magpie Moth (.Abraxas grossidariaria) 
and the V Moth (Halia wavaria). These feed upon the 
leaves, but are much less destructive than the grubs of 
various saw-flies, which frequently completely strip the 
gooseberry and currant bushes of their leaves. The Death’s 
Head Hawk-Moth feeds upon the leaves of the potato, its 
presence being indicated by the large pellets of excrement 
seen under the plants; but it is never sufficiently abundant 
in England to produce any real injury to the crop. It is, 
however, very fond of honey, and will enter beehives if the 
entrance is not too small. The bees do not molest it; and 
it is supposed to overawe them with its squeak. In addition 
to this enemy, bees are exposed to the attacks of the larvae 
of a small family of moths, the Galeriidae, which feed upon 
the wax and honey, eating their way through the combs and 
matting them together with silken galleries. Some of the 
small moths belonging to the Tineas are known as Clothes- 
Moths, from their habit of feeding on animal and vegetable 
fibres, out of which they likewise construct cases to live in. 
One or two allied species are terribly destructive to corn in 
granaries. 
As a rule British insects do not exhibit the phenomenon 
known as mimicry, or protective resemblance, in so high a 
grade of perfection as do those inhabiting warmer climates. 
Among perfect insects, the most striking resemblance is to 
