GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND SKETCHES AFIELD 293 



The Under-leaf Inhabitants 



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E have seen the 

 small moths 

 flying out quite 

 c o n s p i cuously 

 from among the 

 undergrowth as we trod 

 along through the shady 

 woods. But though quite in 

 evidence for the moment, they 

 soon disappear as suddenly as 

 they came. Most of these in- 

 sects readily conceal themselves 

 Here is one I have just followed 

 to its retreat. Turning the leaf gently over, I find the snow- 

 white form a perfect type of aesthetic beauty. As a rule, I 

 observe that the whiter their color the more seclusive they 

 are in their habits, resorting to the underside of the leaves, 

 generally in the darkest part of the woods. Those haying 

 their wings normally spread apart or open are often scalloped 

 at the margins, which is typical of the geometrid moths. 

 Their habits of concealment are of the utmost importance in 

 protecting them from the birds which readily prey upon them. 



under the leaves of plants. 



