MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



while father and the boys worked, listening to their talk, 

 as I built corncob castles so high they toppled from their 

 many stories. Sometimes father made cornstock fiddles 

 that would play a real tune. Oh ! the pity of it that every 

 little child cannot grow, live, learn and love among the 

 corn. For the caterpillars never stopped the fun, even 

 the years when they were most numerous. 



The eggs laid Ijy my female never hatched, so I do 

 not know this caterpillar in its early stages from expe- 

 rience, but I had enough experience with it in my early 

 stages, that I do not care if I never raise one. No doubt 

 it attains maturity by the same series of moults as the 

 others, and its life history is quite similar. The full-fed 

 caterpillars spin among the leaves on the ground, and 

 with their spines in mind, I would much prefer finding 

 a cocoon, and producing a moth from that stage of its 

 evolution. 



The following season I had the good fortune to secure 

 a male and female lo at the same time and bj' persistence 

 induced them to pose for me on an apple branch. There 

 was no trouble in securing the male as I desired him, with 

 wings folded showing the spots, lining and flushing of 

 colour, as described. But the female was a perverse 

 little body and though I tried patiently and repeatedly 

 she would not lower her wings full width. She climbed 

 around with them three fourths spread, producing the 

 most beautiful efi^ect of life, but failing to display her 



223 



