The larva is a most interesting creature. It is dark reddish brown on the back, and flesh colour beneath; and its head is intensely black. It feeds on the solid wood of the willow, poplar, oak, elm, and other trees. The infected trees are often so riddled with the burrows of these larvae that they are completely destroyed, and the presence of the intruders is frequently indicated by a heap of small chips of wood lying on the ground near the roots. The odour of the larvae, too, is so powerful, that there is generally no difficulty in ascertaining their whereabouts by it alone. [Illustration: FIG. 118.--THE GOAT MOTH.] It is not always in living trees, however, that we find these creatures, for they often feed on rotting wood, such as the remains of old palings and posts, that lie on the ground in damp places. [Illustration: Fig. 119.--THE LARVA OF LIGNIPERDA (LESS THAN HALF FULL SIZE).] When fully grown they construct a strong cocoon of chips of wood, bound together by silk, and within this they change to the chrysalis. The moth emerges in June or July, and is commonly found resting on the bark of willows and poplars during the daytime. _The Leopard Moth_ (_Zeuzera pyrina_) The wings of this species are white and semi-transparent, and marked with numerous bluish-black spots in such a way as to remind one of the skin of the leopard. Its body is very long, and the antennae of the male are doubly fringed for about half their length from the base. [Illustration: FIG. 120.--THE LEOPARD MOTH.] The caterpillar feeds on the wood of various trees--elm, apple, pear, ash, alder, poplar, horse chestnut, birch, lilac, and several others. It is yellowish, with black shiny spots, and a black plate on the second segment. [Illustration: FIG. 121.--THE LARVA OF PYRINA (ONLY PARTLY GROWN).] The moth appears in July, and is widely distributed. It is attracted by bright lights, but the best way to obtain it is to search the trunks and branches of trees that are known to harbour the larvae early in the morning, and so obtain newly emerged specimens. Family--LIPARIDAE Passing over the two small species which are the only British representatives of the family _Cochliopodidae_, we come to the interesting _Liparidae_, the remarkable feature of which is that most of the caterpillars are adorned with brush-like tufts of hair, and even the chrysalides are hairy. The perfect insects are not brilliantly coloured, but generally display very pale tints; and the antennae of the males are pectinated or feathered. _The Brown Tail_ (_Porthesia chrysorrh[oe]a_)