P H A 
36 
others, but fomewhat abrupt in the middle: the ends of 
the fcapulars marked with black: but what didinguifhes 
the bird from others is the two middle long tail-feathers, 
which are of a beautiful deep red their whole length, ex¬ 
cept the (hafts and bafe, which are black : the fldes over 
the thighs du(ky ; the legs black. It is reprefented on. 
the annexed Plate. 
This fpecies is met with at large, like the others, but 
does not feetn to be fo far fpread. Our navigators found 
them in feveral places of the South Seas, very common 
at Palmerlton and Turtle iflands; at Hervey’s ifland in 
the greated plenty, and of which conflderable numbers 
were killed for provifions. Here, and at the idand of 
Mauritius, they breed, and make their ned in the hollows 
under ground, and under trees; the eggs are two in 
number, of a yellowidi white, marked with rufous fpots. 
PHAGEDiE'NA, /'. [from the Gr. (pa.ya , to eat.] 
An ulcer, where the (harpnefs of the humours eats away 
the flefli. 
PHAGEDiEN'IC, or Phaged;e'nous, adj. Eating; 
corroding; as ulcers.—The Ephemerides of the Academy 
of the Curiofi Naturae relate, that phagedanic ulcers have 
been frequently cured only with fheep’s dung. Chambers. 
—Applied, fubdantively as well as adjeftively, to medi¬ 
cines which cure phagedaenic ulcers, as the phagedtenic 
water, made from quicklime and fublimate ; and alio to 
fuch medicines as eat off fungous or proud fiefh. 
PHAGE'SIA,/. [Greek.] In antiquity, afeftival in ho¬ 
nour of Bacchus, celebrated during the Dionyfla. It was 
otherwife called phagefipofia, from (pxytiv, to eat, and wivem, 
to drink ; becaufe it was a time of good cheer. 
PHA'GUS, J'. in botany. See Quercus. 
PHAL ACRO'SIS, f. [Greek.] The falling-off of the 
hair. 
PHALiE'NA,/. the Moth; in entomology, a genus 
of infers of the order lepidoptera. Generic chara&ers— 
Antennae fetaceous, and gradually tapering from the bafe 
to the tip ; the tongue is fpiral; it has no jaws, and the 
wings, when at relt, are generally defledfed : the flight is 
no6f urnal. 
The moths are the mod: numerous genus hitherto 
known, either in the animal or vegetable world. Tur- 
ton’s Linnaeus enumerates 1464 fpecies, and probably is 
far fhort of the real number. They are more frequent in 
warm and dry climates than in ours ; and they are more 
plentiful in South than North Britain. This genus, like 
that of Papilio, containing a vaft number of fpecies, is 
divided into affortments, according to the different habits 
of the animals. We (hall not be expedfed to make an 
enumeration of the whole, as that would be to prefent an 
uninterefting and dry catalogue ; but we fhall, as in the 
genus Papilio, feledt Come of the molt remarkable fpecies 
in each fedlion, and fuch as may illuftrate the Engravings 
which will accompany the article; though we muff not 
omit to obferve, that feveral have been already reprefented 
attached to the plants and flirubs on which they breed 
and feed. 
It may be obferved in general, that the greater part of 
the moths, when at liberty in the fields, fly only during 
the night, or towards evening. Thofe which are domef- 
ticated in boxes made for that purpofe, give indications, 
by their fluttering within, when the natural period of 
their adfivity approaches. During the day they remain 
quiet, and apparently reconciled to their confinement ; 
but at night they flutter throughout the whole extent of 
their prifons, and teftify their impatience at their want of 
freedom. 
All the diurnal butterflies are provided with a roftrum 
for gathering, and for the reception of, their food ; but 
a great part of the moths are entirely deftitute of that 
organ, while in others it is fo fmall as fcarcely to be dif- 
cernible with the naked eye. This Angular fadt has been 
fully invefligated by the indefatigable Reaumur, who, 
after examining many moths with a ftrong magnifier,was 
not able to dilcover the fmalled veftige of a mouth. A 
P H A 
conflderable number, therefore, of thefe animals, muff 
pafs the whole of their winged Hate without food : thefe, 
of courfe, cannot be dedrudtive to cloth or furs, except 
while they remain in the form of worms. 
The caterpillars from which the various fpecies of 
moths are produced, exhibit nearly the fame variety of 
appearance as the winged infeffs which fpringfrom them. 
Some are large, while others are extremely minute : many 
are provided with ten, others twelve and fourteen, feet; 
the largeft and mod common have Axteen. Some of the 
fmaller caterpillars are frnooth, and others covered with 
hairs, which produce an itchinefs and an inflammation 
when they touch the human Ikin. 
Moths, in their chryfalis Hate, differ from the butter¬ 
flies, in remaining for a much longer period before their 
metamorphofes into perfedl infedts is completed. Their 
form, too, is then different, being oblong, and not an¬ 
gular, like the chryfalis of the butterfly. Some remain 
in their coques for feveral years fucceffively; efpecially 
if a cold damp fltuation has retarded their progrefs. So 
great is the effedf of heat in precipitating their develop¬ 
ments, that a moth in a warm expofure may be produced 
from its chryfalis even in the depth of winter. 
As the moths fly chiefly in the night, often with great, 
rapidity, and among thickets and bufhes, their wings, 
which are very tender, and very narrow at the bafe, would 
be often in danger of being torn, or of the under wing 
being forced over the upper one: but Providence has ob¬ 
viated this inconvenience by a curious appendage which 
keeps the wings in their place, without impeding their 
flight. From the bafe of the under wing arifes a briftle, 
of a length proportioned to the Aze of the infedf, fuffi- 
ciently hard, though elaflic, to keep the upper wing in 
its place. This fulcrum, or guard, is adled upon by a 
mufcle, fo as to be moveable at the will of the animal; 
and in the courfe of flight it forms an angle of from 15 to 
30 degrees with the rim of the lower wing ; and it is kept 
in its proper place by a ring^ttached to the rim of the 
upper wing. This curious fpring, or guard, is found 
only in the male infedt; but the female has, inftead of it, 
four fmall hairs, or bridles, which anfwer nearly the fame 
purpofe. This apparatus, however, is more evident and 
remarkable in the Sphinx, or hawk-moth ; and under 
Sphinx convolvuli we intend farther to explain it with a 
figure. 
After the Phalaenae iflue from their lad covering, fome 
of them are deditute of wings: thefe are the females of 
certain kinds, who, indead of wings, have only fhort pro¬ 
tuberances, altogether unfit for the purpofe of flying. 
They have the appearance of large creeping animals of a 
different order, and can only be recognized for moths by 
the fhape of their antennae, which are flmilar to thofe of 
the males, and by thofe fcales with which the body of 
thefe animals is covered. 
The Phalaenae, though lefs brilliant in colour than the 
butterflies, are fome of them far fuperior in Aze. The 
Atlas and pavonia major of Linnaeus are much larger 
than any fpecies of the butterfly yet known: in bulk, 
they feem rather to referable a bird than an infedt ; a_nd 
in richnefs of clothing few of the feathered race can vie 
with them, 
Though moths in general do not fly by day, yet in the 
fummer evenings it is the light which attradts them into 
the dwellings of man. Then they are feen entering the 
rooms, and fluttering around the candles,where they often 
meet with a painful death. This fondnefs for light has 
fuggefled to the curious a method of catching thele ani¬ 
mals, by carrying a lantern into a bower, around which 
they all flock, and numbers are led into captivity. 
Many of the fpecies conflrudt the abode in which they 
refide of the grains of wool which they gnaw off the cloth: 
their food is of the fame fubflance; and w'hat greatly in- 
creafes the extent of their devaflations is, that every dep 
they advance upon cloth, feeling themfelves incommoded 
by the wool in their way, they gnaw a fmooth paflage for 
themfelves 
