Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-21
that it becomes a Joseph,s coat Of many

q Z y . & f y
that it becomes u Joseph's coat Of many
! coors.
! An interesting fact about the NOV
able case made by the clothes moth
caterpillar Is that the nearest thing in
/ nature to it is the case made by the
! aquatic grubs, or caterpillars of an
| other kind of insects--tfe caddls-worm
| Cease worms"), which are common In
| ponds and streams They show eX-
/ traordinary powers in making their
/. cases SO that they balance nicely III
the water, as the animal crawls along
on the bottom OF pool, with his head
and six legs emerging from one end
of the case. aCaddis-worms are of vari-
+ GUS kinds OF species, and some attach
I to their cases little broken sticks,
others minute empty snail-shells, others
the fine green threads of water plants.
The caddis-worm becomes changed in
to delicate fly. with transparent
/ wings, just as the clothesworm be-
| comes changed into Il moth--and it is
| an interesting fact that the caddis-f1es,
though they are classed with the May
flies and such net-wingeq insects. and
not with the moths and butterflies (thc
Lepidoptera, or insects with wings COW
cred with dust-like scales. which give
the color and patterns to the wings),
yet agree with moths in having some
scales on the wings and with one Kind
, of minute moth, viz. the clothes moth,
in having grubs which make movable
cases.
The clothes moth caterpillar was
known to the Romans by the name
"Tinea," and is described with correct
detail by the Roman naturalist Pliny.
Modern naturalists have accepted this
name Tinea as that of the genus to
which the clothes moth belongs. There
are 80 different British species of Tinea,
of which four are guilty of attacking
animal fabric, and so causing trouble
to man. The one which builds case
and is the titular chief of the clan OF
clothes moths--"the'' clothes moth, Just
scientifically Indicated by the name
'"Tinea pellionella." The other three
do not form movable ca ses when in this
caterpillar stage, and attack coarser
stuff than fur and fine wool. One Of
them is known as the tapestry MOTH
because it's caterpillar establishes itself
in old tapestry and carpets, and bur-
rowing into these thickish materials IS
concealed without the aid of any self
provided tufic or case. The name
Tinea is often used by entmologists in
an expanded form as "Tinena." to in
dicate the whole series of minute moths
of which the genus Times; is only one
little group. Many OF these moths are
much smaller even than the clothes
moth, and they are found in all parts
of the world and in all sorts and con-
ditions Of life-in relation to trees
shrubs and plants of all kinds. 1t has
been estimated that there are MS man;'
is 100000 distinctly marked different
kinds of these minute creatures.
The insect collectors and students
who occupy themselves with the mag
nificent butterflies and larger moths (of
which there are an enormous variety
of kindsl refuse to deal with the
somewhat dulI-looking and almost in
Vulnerable minute moths which are
classGd as Micro-lepidoptera, in con-
trast to the Macro-lepidopter Cor big
moths and butterfies). Consequently
they have become the favorite study
of Il few enthusiasts. who are known
as Micro-lepidopterists, and nave a
wide but not embarrassing field of
exploration all to themselves. The
Observation-Disclosures include, besides the
Tineina. group of less minute though
small moths. with narrow, fringed
wings, amongst which are the window
moth, the milk moth, the tabby moth.
the meal moth, and the grease moth.
Though the clothes moths may well be
described as tiny moths yet the
word "'rinea,' as applied to them. has
no such origin, but is the name given
to the destructive grub by the Ro-i
mans, The same word has unfortu-
nately been applied by medical men
and botanists to a vegetable parasite
which causes a skin disease (rine-
worm) resulting in badness The
"rinea calvans'' of the doctors has
only this in common with the moth
"Finea pellionella"-that it causes
hair to disappear and badness to en-
sue; but the vegetable parasite at
tacks the hair on a living mans head
hot hi.