MOTHS. Moths are much more numerous than butterflies, and there are about 2,000 different kinds found in the British Islands alone. Photo by J. Edwards] [Colesborne. Consequently we are able to notice only a few. BLACK-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.

The HAWK-MOTHS have long, pointed A much rarer species in England now than formerly.

Scale^winged Insects 717

wings, thick, tapering bodies, and the antennae thickest in the middle. The pink, greenish-striped ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH (see page 718) is a comparatively small species. The specimens measure about 2 inches across the wings. Some species are much larger. The DEATH'S- HEAD HAWK-MOTH, whose caterpillar feeds on potato-leaves, is 5 or 6 inches in expanse; and some of the South American species measure as much as 9 inches. The caterpillars of the hawk-moths are generally green, often with oblique lines of a different colour on the sides. They are not hairy, though the skin is sometimes rough, and there is a fleshy appendage, called a "horn," on the back, just before the extremity of the body. The brown pupae are found in cells in the ground. The CHINESE M U L BERRY-SILK- Photo by E. C. Atkinson. WORM, which pro- ORANGE-TIP. duces most of the Showing three different positions when wings are folded, aid partly silk of commerce, or entirely concealing upper wing. is a smooth, whitish caterpillar, about 2 inches long, with a horn. It is is a sluggish, often reared in England on lettuce. The moth stout-bodied insect. It is whitish, with two dusky stripes on the fore wings. The pupa is enclosed in an oval whitish or yellow cocoon of pure silk. The EMPEROR-MOTHS, of which there is only one species in England, likewise spin large cocoons, sometimes used for

Photo by J. Edwards, Colesbome.

LARGE GRIZZLED SKIPPER

BUTTERFLY. Upper- and under-sides.

commercial purposes. The caterpillars are generally more or less spiny or tufted. Some of the moths have long tails on the hind wings, like swallow-tailed butterflies, and there are several species in South Europe, South Africa, the East Indies, and North America of a beautiful sea-green colour. It will be noticed that the specimens represented on page 718 have the tails a little broken, which is a very common accident with swallow- Photo by Jr. P. Dando, F.Z.S.] [Regent's Park. tailed butterflies and moths. SWALLOW-TAILED BUTTERFLY The only British species of this butterfly is almost confined to the fen districts of Norfolk.We may also notice the round

Photo by J. Edwards, Colesbome. LARGE GRIZZLED SKIPPER BUTTERFLY. Upperand under-sides.

Photo by Highley.

ELEPHANT HAWK MOTHS.

Showing position when at rest.

or crescent-shaped spots in the middle of the wings of some of the moths represented on this page and the next. These are very characteristic of the emperor-moths, and there is often a transparent spot in the centre of the concentric markings. Two other North American species of this family are shown in the photographs on page 719, rather under natural size. The second of these, the CECROPIA MOTH, is represented with its cocoon. This moth has occasionally been captured in England, having been introduced either accidentally or by design. A year or two ago a specimen was brought to the Natural History Museum at South Kensington which had been caught in the street close by. During the summer many foreign butterflies and moths may be seen alive in the Insect-house at the Zoological Gardens, Eegent's Park, and several of the photographs given in these pages were taken from specimens living there in the summer of 1901. The largest of the emperor-moths is the great ATLAS MOTH of North India, Photo by Highley. the largest of all known butterflies or moths, LUNA MOTHS. which occasionally measures almost a foot A green North American moth with tail, allied to the English Emperor-moth. across its reddish-tawny wings.

Scale-winged Insects Photo by L. H. Joutel, New York.

POLYPHEMUS MOTH.

A handsome North American Emperor-motb. July they start weaving their cocoons, in which they remain for seventeen days. A couple of weeks after the moths have emerged from their cocoons and laid their eggs, the eggs hatch, and the young caterpillars run up the tree, and feed from the end of August, during autumn, winter, and Photo by L. H. Joutel}

IMPERIAL MOTH.

Yellow with purplish-brown dots and blotches, Native of North America [New York, 719 The ImpertaL Morn, a handsome North American moth belonging to a family allied to the emperor-moths, is represented below. The Ecaars form another allied family, also with tufted caterpillars, but with the central eye of the wings absent, or reduced to a small black spot. A set of remarkable photographs, representing the eggs, caterpillars, cocoons and sections of cocoons, and the moths of a large and handsome species—the CyprEss-MoTH of Smyrna—appears on pages 720 and 721. We have received the following account of their habits from Mr. Mavroyeni, to whom we are indebted for the photographs: “In the month of ahs Photo by Highley.

CECROPIA MOTH.

The largest of the North American Emperor-moths. spring.” We believe: that the cocoons of this species are prepared for: use as silk in Greece. Among other kinds, we may notice the bright-coloured TiGER-Morus, with their black and cream-coloured. fore wings and red-and-black hind wings, which frequent gardens, and are reared from reddish-brown. caterpillars with long hair. These are stout-bodied moths; and there are othér moths, with brown fore wings and whitish hind wings, which fly to candles, or buzz over flowers in the evening. These are called OWL-MOTHSs; but there are larger and handsomer members

Photo by C, N. Mavroyeni] [Smyraa.

COCOONS OF CYPRESS-MOTH.

These yield silk. [smyrna. Photo by C, N, Mavroyeni)

CYPRESS-MOTHS AT REST.

In the month of July they start weaving their cocoons, in which they remain for seventeen days, A couple of weeks after their eggs are hatched, and the young caterpillars run up the tree, and feed from the end of August, during autumn, winter, and spring, of the same family, called YELLow UNDERWINGS, measuring nearly 2 inches across the wings, and likely to be flushed in strawberry-beds or hay-fields. They have brown fore wings, and bright yellow hind wings, with a black border. The RED-uNDERWING ‘MotH is about 3 inches in expanse, and has greyish-brown fore wings, and red hind wings, with a black central band; it is often seen flying about willow-trees in the afternoon. or resting on tree-trunks, when the bright-coloured hind wings are quite concealed. The Looper-MoTHs are those produced from caterpillars which have only ten legs instead of sixteen, as already explained. Most have slender bodies of moderate length, and broad and rather brightly coloured wings, green, russet-brown, yellow, ete. Some, measuring about an inch in expanse, are called CARPET-MOTHS, from the zigzag patterns on the fore wings, which are generally black and white, or brown and white, and sometimes green. The YELLOW-SHELL. a yellow moth, with some zigzag brown and whitish lines across the wings, which expand about an inch, is common in hedges and _ bushes. The white, black-and-yellow-spotted

GOOSEBERRY-MOTH, or MAGPIE-MOTH, so

common in gardens, is also one of the Loopers. Among the smaller moths are the PEARL-MOTHS, with long slender bodies. wings longer than broad, and often with a pearly lustre, one or two species of which are common among nettles. We may also mention the SNouT-MoTH, a brown slender-bodied moth, with a pointed beak projecting in front of the head, likewise a common insect among nettles. The GRASS-MOTHS are smal) moths, with narrow whitish fore wings, and broad brownish hind wings, which they wrap round their bodies when at rest. They are common in every field and meadow. The BELL-MOTHS have broad truncatéd fore wings,

Scale^winged Insects 721 and rounded hind wings. A species belonging

Ito this family, with green fore wings and brown hind wings, may be shaken from every oak-tree in summer, and at the same time numbers of its little green caterpillars will drop themselves down, and remain swinging at the end of a thread, till they think that the danger is past, when they climb up again. The CLOTHES-MOTHS, familiar to everybody, are representatives of an enormous family of small moths, comprising nearly two-thirds of the British species, but only a few live in Photo by C. N. Mavroyeni] [Smyrna. houses. Most have narrow wings with long CYPRESS-MOTHS. fringes, and many feed in tortuous galleries which they eat in the substance of leaves. The inside of the cocoons, showing the pupse. Some are among the smallest moths known.

The WHITE PLUME-MOTH, which may be noticed floating about in weedy places like a piece of thistle-down, is a representative of a small family in which the fore wings are divided into three separate feathers, and the hind wings into two. The other species are brown, and smaller. When at rest, they look like small daddy-long-legs.

The TWENTY-PLUME MOTH is a yellowish-grey species, less than an inch in expanse, often to be seen at rest on windows or palings. It might easily be taken for a small looper-moth, but that each wing is split into six feathers.

SILKWORMS. We have now completed a rapid survey of the principal groups of Butterflies and Moths, and may fittingly conclude this part of our subject by giving a short account of the history of SILKWORMS insects which far surpass all other butterflies and moths in their importance to mankind, on account of the valuable product which is obtained from their cocoons. The industry has been carried on from time immemorial in China; and many old Chinese works contain interesting particulars, especially relating to the rearing of silkworms by the queens and their ladies, for silk was probably a royal monopoly in old times. These Chinese records date back to about 2200 B.C., when the silk industry was already flourishing; but, according to the usually received tradition, silkworms were first reared during the reign of the Emperor Hwang-te (2640 B.C.) by his queen. The following extracts from the " Le-he Book of Ceremonies," written by C. N. Mavroyeni] [Smyrna.between 204 B.C. and 135 B.C., and quoted Photo "by Horsfield and Moore in their Catalogue CYPEESS-CATERPILLARS. their cocoons, the young caterpillars run up the tree to feed. of the Lepidoptera Of the East India When they leave 91

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