Tortricina
(which see) by the narrow wings, almost always fringed with long scales on the inner and hind margins, the hairless eyes, the thickened bases of the antennae, and the upturned terminal joints of the palpi. They differ very greatly among themselves in form, colour, and habits, and even in size, some of the larger ones measuring nearly 1in. across the fore wings, while many of them do not exceed 1/4in. across; in fact, the smallest known species of Moths belong to this division. The number of species is very great; and it is not possible to enter into details with regard to them individually. Hence, special reference must be confined to only a few of the species of most importance to horticulturists.
Most of the larvae have six true legs, and ten suckers or prolegs; but in one genus there are twelve suckers, in others only eight, and in some the larvae are entirely footless, and live in burrows in the leaves or other organs of plants. Some of the larvae feed on the surface of the plants, exposed to view, or protected by a case fitting closely around the body. Most of them, however, live concealed, either in webs or in masses of flowers and seed vessels spun together, or, as already mentioned, in borrows in stems, leaves or fruits; and some are but too well known because of their ravages on clothes, and on articles of furniture.
Among the genera most destructive in gardens is Depressaria, several species of which are hurtful to Carrots and Parsnips, and are described among the insect foes of these plants. Some of the species in this genus reach a span of nearly 1in. across the fore wings, and are thus among the largest of the Tineina. The genus Tinea includes a considerable number of species, several of which feed in clothes, in furniture, or on Cereals, &c., stored in granaries and warehouses; but none are conspicuously hurtful in gardens. An account of Hyponomeuta padella, and its ravages on Hawthorn, is given under Hawthorn Caterpillars. The genus Hyponomeuta includes a few species, all easily recognised by three or four longitudinal rows of black dots on the white or grey fore wings (see Fig. 40); but the larvae of H. padella alone are ever seriously injurious in gardens. Their habit of living in society, in a web (see Fig. 41) renders them very conspicuous, and it is easy to remove and destroy entire colonies. Plutella cruciferarum (which see) does a good deal of harm to Cabbages and Turnips. Endrosis fenestrella is one of the most abundant of clothes-moths in houses, appearing almost throughout the year. It may be known by the snowy-white head and thorax, and dirty-grey wings, clouded with darker markings. The leaf-miners are very numerous; indeed, there are few trees or shrubs that are not infested by several, or even by many, species; and there are also many leaf-miners that burrow in the leaves of herbs of various kinds e.q. several live in Epilobium anqustifolium and its congeners. The mines and blotches produced by these insects render the leaves unsightly, but are seldom so numerous as to materially weaken the plants.