“The other leaf-rolling moths of this family are of less importance. The leaf-roller of the plum-tree lives first on the blossoms of the tree; later it makes a roll of leaves and lines it with silk. The moth has a large white spot at the tip of each fore wing. “The cherry-tree leaf-roller has about the same habits. Its moth is recognized by two wide oblique stripes of the color of rust on its fore wings. On the pear-tree lives a leaf-roller with a triangular white spot in the middle of each fore wing.” “I don’t remember ever having seen the moths you are telling us about,” said Jules. “They are too small to be noticed by any one who is not on the lookout for them.” “I have often seen the nests of leaf-rolling caterpillars on fruit-trees and bushes and all sorts of plants. There are leaves folded lengthwise so that the edges join and make a sort of tunnel; others are in twos or threes or more; and there are some fastened together in a big bunch, all twisted and ragged, with silk threads holding them together. On opening these nests of leaves and silk I have sometimes found a caterpillar and sometimes a spider.” “Various spiders with too little silk to spin a large web for catching flies make an ambush by bringing the edges of two or three adjacent leaves together. Like the leaf-rolling caterpillars they use silk threads to hold the pieces of their abode in place, but their ultimate object is quite different. The rollers bring the leaves together so as to nibble them in peace, safely hidden away in the shelter thus formed; the spiders bring them together to make a simple abode for themselves and an ambush from which they can pounce upon such insects as come within their reach.” “The spiders that make a nest of leaves joined together do not harm trees?” “I should rather say they are helpful to trees. They are vigilant guardians, always on the watch for flies, gnats, little moths, and other ravagers that would come and infest the trees with their eggs.” CHAPTER LI THE HOP-MOTH “What is that pretty butterfly in your box, next to the pyralis?” Emile asked his uncle when the latter was showing the children some of his specimens of moths and butterflies. “It has silver wings bordered with red.” “That is not a butterfly, my boy,” replied Uncle Paul; “it is a moth that infests hop-vines.” “Are hops those things they make beer with?”