MOTH (AS. mope Ger. No, le, moth; per haps connected with (loth, muPa, OI1G. mado, Ger. Math:, AS. 111(ppu, addle. Eng. mud, made, maggot, grub). An insect of an indefinahle sec tion of the Lepidoptera (q.v.), separated front butterflies by superficial features and habits. No scientific distinction exists between these two, and the terms Rhopalocera for the former and Ileterecera for the moths have been abandoned in taxonomy. as a rule are nocturnal, while butterflies, as a rule, Ily by day. Moths rest in most cases with the wing horizontally disposed, while butterflies hold them erect, dis playing the under surface. The autennic of maths are likely to be feathery in shape, .while those of butterflies are thread-like, swollen to ward the cud into a 'club-head! The nearest to a structural division is made by the fact that all so-called moths have a jug,um, or 'hook and eye,' upon the fore wing by which these wings arc held together in flight, while such a structure is ab sent front the butterflies. (See BUTTERFLIES AND • AloTils.) All 'nit four families of Lepidoptera,.
and by far the greater number of species and in dividuals, are moths. They are, however, less conspicuous than their relatives. on account of their generally smaller size and inconspicuous hues, lust inainly because of their nocturnal habits. are of more importance, too, in their relations with mankind than the orna mental butterflies, which do comparatively little either of harm or good beyond the delight their beauty affords. The moths, on the emit rary, sup ply the useful product silk. on the one hand, and on the other furnish a great variety of species, which. (-specially in the larval stage, do enor mous damage to crops and fruit, as well as to stored grain and food-stuffs, and to a long list of materials, in both their raw and manufac tured states. The accompanying colored plate represents moths of various fa tallies. and ex hibits the form and style of eoloraticm assumed. The species ti aired are described elsewhere. See BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS.