Volume 1

A history of British moths / by F.O. Morris.

  • Francis Orpen Morris
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A history of British moths / by F.O. Morris. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    0. Morris says: “ I wrote of my own knowledge; I remem- ber the time, place, and circumstance well. I was then at Bromsgrove School, and was out * hunting ’ one evening ; and I remember that it was very early and before actual dusk, on a hill or rising ground rather, some two or three miles from the town, near Stoke Court, where I saw many of these moths, the only time I ever saw them alive, flying up and down and very fast, and hard to catch, near or above the top of an old-fashioned high hedge, on the side of a wide, grassy lane. I could not help being struck by the curious stridulous sound they made as they flew.” Many moths are exceedingly injurious, in the larval state, to vegetation, to bees, and to articles of clothing. Some moths—such as the Goat Moth (Cossus ligniperda) and the Wood Leopard Moth (Zeiize.ra cesculi), as well as all the Clearwings, except the Bee Hawk-Moths—feed in the wood or in the roots of various trees and plants, sometimes killing them. One of the most destructive of these is the Currant Clearwing, which has now been introduced into most parts of the world. The currant and gooseberry are also liable to be attacked by the larvae of other moths, chief amoDg which may be mentioned the Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariaria) and the V Moth (Halia wavaria). These feed upon the leaves, but are much less destructive than the grubs of various saw-flies, which frequently completely strip the gooseberry and currant bushes of their leaves. The Death’s Head Hawk-Moth feeds upon the leaves of the potato, its presence being indicated by the large pellets of excrement seen under the plants; but it is never sufficiently abundant in England to produce any real injury to the crop. It is, however, very fond of honey, and will enter beehives if the entrance is not too small. The bees do not molest it; and it is supposed to overawe them with its squeak. In addition to this enemy, bees are exposed to the attacks of the larvae of a small family of moths, the Galeriidae, which feed upon the wax and honey, eating their way through the combs and matting them together with silken galleries. Some of the small moths belonging to the Tineae are known as Clothes- Moths, from their habit of feeding on animal and vegetable fibres, out of which they likewise construct cases to live in. One or two allied species are terribly destructive to corn in granaries. As a rule British insects do not exhibit the phenomenon known as mimicry, or protective resemblance, in so high a grade of perfection as do those inhabiting warmer climates. Among perfect insects, the most striking resemblance is to
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