MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



means "the end," and as scientists fail to explain the 

 appropriateness of this, I am at liberty to indulge a 

 theory of my own. Nature made this handsome moth 

 last, and as it was the end, surpassed herself as a finish- 

 ing touch on creatures that are, no doubt, her frailest and 

 most exquisite creation. 



Polyphemus is rich in shadings of many subdued col- 

 ours, that so blend and contrast as to give it no superior 

 in the family of short-lived lovers of moonlight. Its 

 front wings are a complicated study of many colours, for 

 some of which it would be difficult to find a name. Really, 

 it is the one moth that must be seen and studied in 

 minutest detail to gain an idea of its beauty. The near- 

 est I can come to the general groundwork of the wing is a 

 rich brown-yellow. The costa is gray, this colour spread- 

 ing in a widening line from the base of the wing to more 

 than a quarter of an inch at the tip, and closely peppered 

 with black. At the base, the wing is covered with silky 

 yellow-brown hairs. As if to outline the extent of these, 

 comes a line of pinkish white, and then one of rich golden 

 brown, shading into the prevailing colour. 



Close the middle of the length of the wing, and half 

 an inch from the costa, is a transparent spot like isin- 

 glass, so clear that fine print can be read through it. 

 This spot is outlined with a canary yellow band, and that 

 with a narrow, but sharp circle of black. Then comes a 

 cloudlike rift of golden brown, drifting from the costa 



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