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Moths and butterflies are possessed of four wings, two large, and two small, which are composed of many tendons, thus rendering them flexible and strong. They are transparent of themselves, but covered with what appears to the naked eye a beautiful coloured dust, which, under the microscope, proves to be delicate little feathery plates, which rest upon or overlap one another like the tiles on the roof of a house. They have six legs; four they use for walking, and two as hands, with which they raise anything, and clean their heads from dust. They have also two feelers on the upper part of their heads, which stand out like horns, and are scientifically called antennæ. These differ according to the kinds: in the butterfly, being terminated by a small inflation or knob, whilst those of the nocturnal species, or moths, taper to a point, and are often feathery. They have two eyes, varying in size according to the varieties, and said to be composed of 'at least seventeen thousand convex lenses, each supposed to be a distinct and effective eye!' Between these they have a sucker or a spiral trunk, which can be let down or drawn up at pleasure, and which you may often observe them pressing or inserting into the bosom of some honied blossom, and extracting the nectar.

I spoke in my former chapter of the curious cocoon made by the puss moth; and doubtless you thought it a curious name for so handsome an insect, but it has been given on account of the soft down, or cat-like fur, with which its body is covered. More curious, however, is the caterpillar itself, which is furnished with hard, darkcoloured claspers at the tail end of its body, and on which it often raises itself upright, remaining in this attitude for a considerable time; and, in consequence, the name of Sphinx has been given to the moth.

You all know that black, hairy caterpillar, so commonly called 'the woolly bear,' which, when touched, curls itself into such a funny little round ball! It creeps very rapidly, and may usually be found feeding on the common blind

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nettle. It is the larva of the tiger moth, and one of those caterpillars that spins for itself a hammock-like cocoon in which to sleep. It is very common about the hedge-sides, and may be easily recognised by its shaggy appearance. Large and beautiful is the moth itself; the upper pair of wings being of a rich brown colour, broken by broad streaks of white, the under pair brilliant red, the margin adorned with three large black spots, and three smaller nearer the base. The body is a mixture of brown, deep red, and black. The antennæ are white, with black tips.

The caterpillar of the oak egger moth also feeds on the nettle, and may be recognised by its soft hairy coat of light brown, embellished with deep black stripes. Its cocoon is composed of a hard brown substance, mixed partly with the hairs of the caterpillar; and, in consequence of its firmness and oval shape, the name of egger is given to the moth, which is large and also handsome, measuring about three-quarters of an inch across the wings-the upper pair of which are a delicate green, the under pair a dusky colour, all daintily fringed with white. But perhaps the most beautiful moth we have is the emperor moth, with its richly coloured wings and softly furred body, its very antennæ being thickly feathered. You cannot fail to recognise it by the deep stains and peacock-feather marks on its four wings. The caterpillar is peculiar in shape, and adorned with tufts of hairs running along or around the top of each ring of its body. It weaves a rough-looking cocoon, resembling a tiny pear in shape, and so curiously constructed, that though the moth can readily creep from its prison, no other insect could possibly creep in to molest it.

If, in winter, you examine the ground under a privet bush, you are certain to find the chrysalis of the privet hawk moth, as the caterpiller lives on this shrub, and then burrows in the ground, to rest in its pupa state. It is a pretty green caterpillar, with seven pink stripes, or dashes, running across its sides. The moth is large,

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handsome, and very common. Its wings are deeply stained, and the lower portion of the body is banded with alternate marks of light and dark, broken through the middle by a whitish line.

The elephant hawk moth, so called from the extreme length of its trunk and the hawk-like shape of its wings, is also a very beautiful insect, and so common that it may be found in any part of our island. It is olive in colour; the upper wings having the edges in purplish red, as well as two dashes across in the same colour; the hind wings are black, with a deep red margin, edged with white. The body is also olive in hue, and adorned with thick red lines. The caterpillar may be found creeping and feeding on the leaves of the willow-herbs, lady's bedstraw, etc. It is green when young, but gradually changes to a brown, the sides of the fourth and fifth segments being ornamented with a large eye-spot, which gives it a most startling appearance, as, on first sight, they are invariably taken for real, glaring eyes.

Creeping over the leaves of various trees, but loving best to feast off those of the lime and elm, we shall find the caterpillar of the lime-hawk moth, which is green in colour, with yellow lines, edged with red, running down the sides; a curious pointed horn, curved backwards, crowning the last segment. The moth is large, often measuring three inches across the wings, which are very handsome, the upper ones being strongly notched at the margins, and a varying grey and green in colour, those under, a pale soft brown, bordered with a cloudy black band.

Feeding on many a speedwell blossom, or creeping over the coarser leaves of the dandelion, you may often find the caterpillar of the burnet moth. The moth itself is small, but rich in the deep colouring of its two upper wings, which are dark-green spotted with red, while the under wings are red, edged with black. Its body is soft and velvety; a rich black, beautifully tinged with blue. The chrysalis you may find hanging from a stiff stem of

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grass, looking like a tiny hammock, that has dropped at one end from its slinging.

The buff-tip moth is easily recognised by the light yellow markings on its upper wings, and the feathery mass of down that almost envelopes the head. The caterpillar also is soon known by the black stripes running across each ring of the body, and which strike out conspicuously on their yellow groundwork. The pupa

may be found buried beneath the ground.

Another downy moth is the gold-tailed moth, small in size, but very beautiful in its pretty white vestments and little golden tail. The caterpillar, which is scarlet and black, with little tufts of hairs adorning its back, is commonly called 'palmer-worm,' and scarcely safe to touch, owing to its irritating effect on the skin.

A pest to the gardener is the caterpillar of the magpie or currant moth, that feeds upon the currant and gooseberry bushes, often utterly devastating them. It is a black and white caterpillar, and one of the loopers, so called from the peculiar way in which they crawl, drawing their hind feet up to the forelegs, and thus forming their bodies into a sort of loop. The chrysalis, which is very bright, is a soft yellow in colour, with black bands running across. The moth, which is called magpie from its white wings being spotted with black, lays its eggs on the ground under the currant bushes; so that the young caterpillar, when it comes forth, may thus find itself in the midst of plenty.

There is a moth that often does not come forth until December, when

'The year lies dying in the evening light,'

and, in consequence, is called the winter moth. It is exceedingly common, of an ashy brown, prettily veined and dotted with black. The female, which is also brown, has, however, only short rudiments of wings. The caterpillar appears in the spring months, and loves to feast on the young leaves that are just bursting into beauty. It is a very beautiful yellow green; the skin so delicate

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and transparent that, after feeding, the hue of the food is distinctly visible. It buries itself in the ground to pass the chrysalis state.

There is a pretty little moth-its two upper wings being a rich green in colour-that infests the oak tree, and is called the green oak moth. As a caterpillar it is very destructive, living on the leaves of the oak, in one of which it afterwards encloses itself, to pass through its pupæhood.

Who does not know the brimstone moth, so common everywhere?—the little caterpillar of which we are so apt to mistake for a dried twig, as it assumes that appearance by stretching itself straight out, and remaining quite motionless, showing to what an extraordinary degree is the muscular force with which this little creature is endowed. It feeds principally on the whitethorn or sloe, is of a greyish brown tint, with darker markings, and an orangecoloured head. The moth is of a bright sulphur colour, as its name indicates, very prettily marked with delicate dusky touches, dainty red spots embellishing the borders of its airy wings, which unfold in the spring, and as early as March may be seen flitting about the hedgerows.

But I might go on, 'for many a summer's day,' enumerating the many varieties of moths to be found even in a half-hour's wander along by the commonest roadside. How pretty is the little plume moth, with its delicate white woolly coat, adorned with little tufts of hair, that plays in the soft airs of the summer's declining evening light, or drops softly as a flake of feathery snow on the leaves of the surrounding plants! There are several varieties of plume moths, as well as long-horns,-so called from the extreme length of the antennæ,-but they are too numerous to enter upon; and I must not dwell on the subject of moths longer, lest you get bewildered in hearing of so many at one time. In another chapter I hope to tell you something about butterflies, which, from being more airy and delicate, seem to me even more beautiful than moths. LEIGH PAGE.