Its fore wings are brownish grey, crossed with zigzag darker lines, and having a black spot near the centre of the costal margin. The term 'Tabby' has been applied on account of the fancied resemblance of the transverse markings to the fur of a tabby cat, and the other popular name was given under the belief that the caterpillar feeds on fatty matter, but it is extremely doubtful whether this supposition is correct. The caterpillar probably feeds exclusively on the vegetable accumulations that lie in the undisturbed corners and crevices of outhouses and stables, and lives concealed in silken tubes, strengthened outside by fragments of hay, chaff &c. that have been spun together. It feeds from September to April, except during very severe weather, and when full grown it leaves its tube, and changes to a chrysalis in a light silken cocoon in some secluded corner. The moth emerges in July. _The Meal Moth_ (_Pyralis farinalis_) The same family contains the common Meal Moth, so called because in the larval state it feeds on meal and allied substances. [Illustration: FIG. 210.--THE MEAL MOTH.] The fore wings are yellowish grey, with reddish basal patches, a broad reddish band along the hind margin, and two whitish indented transverse lines. The hind wings are grey, and are crossed by two lines similar to and continuous with those of the front pair. This moth is to be found in abundance throughout the summer months in places where corn, meal, and grain are stored in large quantities, sitting on walls and rafters during the daytime, and taking to flight in the evening. The caterpillar feeds on corn, meal, grain, bran, &c., and lives concealed in a silken tube covered outside with particles of its food substance. It is not fully grown till nearly two years old, and then changes to a chrysalis in a white silken cocoon. _The Small Magpie_ (_Eurrhypara urticata_) The family _Botydae_ contains the moths that are popularly known as the 'Pearls' on account of the pearly lustre of the wings. One of its species--the Small Magpie--is shown in the accompanying illustration. Its fore wings are pearly white, with blackish hind margin, a yellow streak at the base, and blackish markings, the arrangement of which may be seen in the figure. [Illustration: FIG. 211.--THE SMALL MAGPIE.] It is a very common moth, flying at dusk during June and July in waste places where the stinging nettle grows. The caterpillar is whitish, with a dark dorsal line. It feeds on the stinging nettle (_Urtica dioica_), always remaining concealed between leaves which it has spun together with silken threads. _The Mother-of-Pearl_ (_Botys ruralis_) This is another very common species of the family _Botydae_, abundant almost everywhere, and to be found on the wing from June to August. Its wings are whitish, and exhibit a very decided pearly lustre, and all the markings are of a dull dark grey. [Illustration: FIG. 212.--THE MOTHER-OF-PEARL.]