THE MOTH. 
151 
soon become black, and look just like grains of 
gunpowder. 
Speaking of eggs, reminds me of another 
anecdote, I might have told you before, with 
regard to the instinct of moths for their eggs. 
It is about the little moth, that comes out of the 
grain of wheat, in the farmer’s granary. There 
are two generations of these moths in the course 
of the year; and the first make their appearance 
in May or June. But they do not stay in the 
granary, though they have lived there all their 
lives: they fly off to the corn-fields, and lay 
their eggs upon the growing wheat; as if they 
knew that the ears would soon be ripe, and yield 
an abundant supply of food for the young cater¬ 
pillars. Late in the autumn, when the corn has 
been gathered in, and stored in the granary, the 
second generation of moths come out. But they 
never attempt to fly away to the fields, as the 
others did; for they seem to know that the 
harvest is over, and the corn-fields all reaped 
and bare. So they lay their eggs in the granary, 
on the store of wheat that is close at hand, 
and that will furnish their infant progeny with 
food. 
The foreign moths, as well as the butterflies, 
are very much larger, and more splendid than 
any we have in England. 
