ABSTRACT Much attention has been paid in the past to the peculiar mechanism of keratin digestion which enables the clothes moth to infest woollen materials (Schulz, 1925 ; Lipderstnøm-Lang & Duspiva, 1935 ; Duspiva, 1936), but little is known about its general food requirements. It is known that the larvae will not grow on clean wool (Titschak, 1922; Crowell & McCay, 1937) and that damage to clothing is generally restricted to parts soiled by dirt and sweat. On the other hand, Tineola has been bred in the laboratory on various foods in the absence of keratin, and there are no indications that keratin is a necessary constituent of the food (Titschak, 1922). A study of some aspects of the nutrition of Tineola has been made by Crowell & McCay (1937) and will be discussed below.