Some of them are common moths with which all must be more or less familiar, as they are roused from the grasses on which they repose at almost every footstep as we walk through meadows in the summer. When at rest, they present a very peculiar appearance. Their wings are wrapped closely round their bodies in such a manner that they are hardly distinguishable from the stems on which they repose. The larvae have sixteen limbs, and are very variable in their habits. Some feed among moss or dry stems in silken tubes, some on the stems of reeds, and others inhabit the hives of bees and feed on the wax of the honeycomb. The four families are: 1. _Chilidae_--five species. 2. _Crambidae_--about thirty species. 3. _Phycidae_--over forty species. 4. _Galleridae_--five species. _Chilo Phragmitellus_ This species is one of those moths known as the 'Veneers,' and is popularly termed the Wainscot Veneer. It is one of the largest of the family _Chilidae_. Its fore wings are long, narrow, and pointed at the tip. They are of a pale ochreous brown colour, with a row of small black dots along the hind margin. The caterpillar is pale grey, with brown stripes; and the head and second segment are yellowish brown. It feeds on the common reed (_Phragmites_) in the autumn, and hybernates till the following spring, when it resumes its feeding. [Illustration: FIG. 219.--PHRAGMITELLUS--ENLARGED ONE-HALF.] This insect is rather local, but may be searched for in all marshy places where reeds abound. _Crambus hamellus_ The family _Crambidae_ is represented by the above-named species, which has the popular title of Pearl-streak Veneer. It is not a common moth, but is to be obtained in some localities by beating low herbage. [Illustration: FIG. 220.--HAMELLUS--SLIGHTLY ENLARGED.] Its fore wings are ochreous and glossy, with a silvery streak from the base, running almost parallel with the costal margin. The hind margin is yellow, bordered inside by a wavy brown line. The hind wings are pale greyish brown with a yellowish margin. _Crambus tristellus_ The same family contains the species _Tristellus_, which, unlike the preceding insect, is abundant everywhere. [Illustration: FIG. 221.--TRISTELLUS.] Its fore wings are generally yellowish brown, but exceedingly variable. A pale streak runs from the base to just beyond the middle of the wing, and is then forked. Near the hind margin is a very indistinct brown wavy line. The hind wings are dull smoke colour with a light fringe. As with the other moths of the family, its labial palpi are very long. The moth flies from July to September. _Crambus hortuellus_ This is also an abundant species, to be met with everywhere during June and July. Its fore wings are dull ochreous brown. The wing rays are whitish near the inner margin, and a brown line with a silvery edging crosses near the hind margin. The hind wings are dull smoky brown, with a shining surface, and the fringe is light.