MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



brought to me by Mr. Wallace Hardison, wlio has been 

 an interested helper with this book. The moth had a 

 wing sweep of fully five and a half inches, and its mark- 

 ings were unusually bright and strong. No other Celeus 

 quite so big and beautiful ever has come to my notice. 

 From four and a half to five inches is the average size. 



There was something the matter with this moth. Not 

 a scale of down seemed to be missing, but it was torpid 

 and would not fly. Possibly it had been stung by some 

 parasite before taking flight at all, for it was very fresh. 

 I just had returned from a trip north, and there were some 

 large pieces of birch bark lying on the table on which the 

 moth had been placed. It climbed on one of these, and 

 clung there, so I set up the bark, and made a time ex- 

 posure. It felt so badly it did not even close them when 

 I took a brush, and spread its wings full width. Soon 

 after it became motionless. It is to be regretted that 

 this superb moth was not given a natural background, 

 but the colour combination it made on the softly 

 shaded bark was irresistible. I had begun photograj)h- 

 ing moths recently; it was one of my very first, and no 

 thought of using it for natural history purposes occurred 

 at the time. I merely made what I considered a beauti- 

 ful likeness, and this was so appreciated whenever shown, 

 that I went farther and painted it in water colours. 



Since moth pictures have accumulated, and moth his- 

 tory has engrossed me with its intense interest, I have 



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