MOTHS OF THE LIMBER LOST 



for that length of time. The yellows are slightly faded, 

 tJie reds very niueli degraded, the grays a half lighter 

 than when fresh; but showing to-day a pure, clear gray. 

 What troubles me is whether Regalis of the Limberlost 

 is gray, where others are green; or whether I am colour 

 blind or these men. Referring to other writers, I am 

 growing "leery" of the word "Authority"; half of what 

 was written fifty years ago along almost any line you can 

 mention, to-day stands disproved; all of us are merely 

 seekers after the truth: so referring to other writers, 

 I find the women of Massachusetts, who wrote "Cat- 

 erpillars and Their JNIoths, " and who in all probability 

 have raised more difl^erent caterpillars for the purpose of 

 securing life history, than any other workers of our 

 country, possibly of any, state that the front wings of 

 Regalis have "stripes of lead colour between the veins of 

 the wings," and "three or four lead coloured stripes" on 

 the back wings. The remainder of my description and 

 colouring also agrees with theirs. If these men worked 

 from museum or private collections, there is a possibility 

 that chemicals used to kill, preserve, and protect the 

 specimens from pests may have degraded the colours, 

 and changed the gray to green. But to accept this as 

 the explanation of the variance upsets all their colour 

 values, so it must not be considered. This proves that 

 there must be a Regalis that at times has olive-green 

 stripes where mine are gray; but I never have seen one. 



369 



