MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



Modesta belongs to the genus Triptogon, species 

 Modesta — hence the common name, the Modest moth. 

 I am told that in the east this moth is of stronger 

 colouring than in the central and western states. I do 

 not know about the centre and west, but I do know that 

 only as far east as Indiana, Modesta is of more delicate 

 colouring than it is described by scientists of New York 

 and Pennsylvania; and of course, as in almost every case, 

 the female is not so strongly coloured as the male. 



I can class the Modest moth and its caterpillar among 

 those I know, but my acquaintance with it is more limited 

 than with almost any other. My first introduction came 

 when I found a caterpillar of striking appearance on 

 water sprouts growing around a poplar stump in a 

 stretch of trees beside the Wabash. I carried it home 

 with a supply of the leaves for diet, but as a matter of 

 luck, it had finished eating, and was ready to pupate. 

 I write of this as good luck, because the poplar tree is 

 almost extinct in my location. I know of only one in the 

 fields, those beside the river, and a few used for ornamen- 

 tal shade trees. They are so scarce I would have had 

 trouble to provide the caterpillar with natural food; so 

 I was glad that it was ready to pupate when found. 



Any one can identify this caterpillar easily, as it is 

 most peculiar. There is a purplish pink cast on the head 

 and mouth of the full-grown caterpillar, and purplish 

 red around the props. The bod}^ is a very light blue- 



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