There are more than a hundred British species in this group, and these represent no less than seventeen families, which exhibit a great variety in their general appearance and habits. Family--NYCTEOLIDAE _The Green Silver-lined_ (_Hylophila prasinana_) This family, under the name of _Chloephoridae_, is included by some authors among the _Tortrices_ (page 298), which they somewhat resemble in habits. It contains only four species, of which we will take one example--the Green Silver-lined. [Illustration: FIG. 108.--THE GREEN SILVER-LINED.] The fore wings of this insect are pale green, with three oblique silvery white lines, the middle one of which is far more distinct than the other two. The hind wings are silvery white in the female, and yellow in the male. It flies in May, and is common in the wooded districts of the south-eastern counties. The caterpillar is pale green, dotted and striped with yellow, and has a reddish transverse band on the second segment. It feeds on oak (_Quercus Robur_), birch (_Betula alba_), hazel (_Corylus_ _Avellana_), beech (_Fagus sylvatica_), and alder (_Alnus glutinosa_), from which trees it may be beaten in July and August. Family--NOLIDAE _The Short-cloaked Moth_ (_Nola cucullatella_) We select this common moth as a representative of the small family _Nolidae_, which contains only five British species. These are all small insects. They are nocturnal in their habits, and may be found at rest on the trunks of trees during the daytime. The caterpillars are hairy, and undergo their metamorphoses within silken cocoons. [Illustration: FIG. 109.--THE SHORT-CLOAKED MOTH.] The fore wings of _Cucullatella_ are pearly grey, with a dark patch at the base, a triangular spot on the middle of the costal margin, and wavy lines beyond this, parallel with the hind margin. The hind wings are grey, and devoid of any markings. The caterpillar is of a brownish colour, with a line of lighter patches down the back, and it is covered with little tufts of hair. It feeds on the blackthorn (_Prunus spinosa_), whitethorn (_Crataegus oxyacantha_), and also on plum trees in our gardens during the month of May. The moth is on the wing during June and July. Family--LITHOSIIDAE _The Muslin Moth_ (_Nudaria mundana_) The family _Lithosiidae_ contains several small moths, distinguished from the other _Bombyces_ by the narrowness of their fore wings. When the insects are at rest, all the wings are wrapped closely round the body. They fly at dusk on summer evenings, but may be obtained during the daytime by beating the boughs of trees. If an open net be held under the boughs during this operation, the moths will generally feign death and allow themselves to fall into it when they are disturbed. [Illustration: FIG. 110.--THE MUSLIN MOTH.]