112 TENANTS OF AN OLD FARJf. 



" So say I," echoed the Mistress. 



" And what says Hugh ?" I asked, as the sturdy fel- 

 low turned the insect around slowly and carefully scru- 

 tinized it on all sides. 



"Well, sir, I — I begin to find that 1 know so leetle 

 'bout the commonest sorts o' critters that I don't like 

 to venture a 'pinion. But cj that 's a moth, I reckon 

 you 've pulled its wings off. 



"Not a bad guess," I said, laughing. " But I assure 

 you that it is a moth, and that I have not pulled its wings 

 off. However, not to keep you in suspense, I may tell 

 you that in certain ^^l)ecies of moths the female is iciug- 

 k'ss. The pretty feathered caterpillar that we spoke of 

 a little while ago as now infesting our puljlic squares 

 has a wingless mother. This is another example ; it is 

 a veritable moth, the female of a species known as the 

 orchard moth [Anisopteryx pometaria^ Harris), a variety 

 perhaps of the vernal moth {Anisaptyrex vernata^ Peck). 

 It is the mother of our northern canker-worm." 



" The canker-worm? Indeed !" exclaimed Hugh. " I^et 

 nu! look at the creatur' again, please. .Well, well ! who 

 would have tho't such pestiferous gangs uv varmin "d 

 a-sprung from a mite uv a beast like that !" (Fig. 40.) 



"For my part.'' said the Mistress, "I think her 

 quite ugly enough to be the mother of any kind of 

 odious creature. Moreover, I shall owe her an addi- 

 tional grudge because our good professor here used her 

 to victimize so mercilessl}' his confiding pupils. Think 

 what our Schoolma'am — " 



"Oh, dear, no!" inlcrrupled Al>l)y, smilin^i^ good- 



