1C8 
LITTLE FOLKS 
dainty babies than hers. That isn't because she is malicious, bat 
merely because there's less oily matter in the best cloth. And the 
baby himself, though he wanders around to other goods, won't touch 
anything common while he can get fine clothes to eat. 
When he begins to eat, he eats so much that he soon finds — 
as you children do — that he's too big for his clothes. Now, when 
that happens to you, your Mamma just buys you a new suit, but 
the poor Baby Moth has to make his own suit, you know. What 
do you suppose he does ? 
I will tell you. He just cuts 
a slit in his coat — or his house — 
and proceeds to put in a new 
piece, patch it, in fact. It's no 
small job for him either, it takes 
him a week ; but when it's done, 
he has no more trouble about it ; 
he just goes to eating again. 
When he has eaten enough, 
he shuts up the end of his house 
and hangs it to shelf or wall, where 
he thinks it will be safe. Shut 
up in that snug dark nursery, a 
mysterious thing happens. Wings 
develop, legs grow, and after awhile 
the house bursts open, and out 
comes a tiny buff satin fly, just like the Mamma who first glued 
the eggs to the broadcloth. 
This little mother isn't the one who spoils our carpet for us, 
though she is a cousin. The Carpet Moth is called Tinea Tape- 
zella. It's a prettier name, though it's a very mischievous little fly, 
and we take good care to put plenty of camphor and tobacco around 
the dark corners, so that she shall not set ud her nursery in our 
houses. 
