PARASITES-COLLECTING 65 



food. Many species pass the winter as eggs, more as 

 torpid or semi-torpid larvae, most as pupae, and probably 

 some as perfect moths, though we have not found hi- 

 bernating moths in the imago state. Cold seems to have 

 no ill effect on them. The eggs on twigs or trunks 

 are not harmed even when covered by the ice of a 

 sleet-storm. The caterpillars in the crevice of a wall, 

 under dry leaves, in the chinks of the bark, or spun up 

 in a leaf are not killed by cold many degrees below 

 zero. The pupge in the ground are not hurt though 

 the earth freeze hard to the depth of several feet below 

 their cells, and the j^upse in cocoons or among fallen 

 leaves are equally unharmed by cold. 



Frail as the moth imago seems, it can bear much 

 injury without apparent discomfort, certainly without 

 any sign of pain. In flying about, moths often break 

 large pieces from their wings, but the loss of more 

 than half of each wing does not seem to harm them at 

 all. As long as enough wing is left to enable them to 

 fly, they seem comfortable and can live unless chased 

 by birds or bats. In this case the lack of speed caused 

 by the lessened wing-power may prove fatal. 



The loss of the antennge is the greatest loss that can 

 befall a moth except loss of hfe. Without antenna? 

 the moth has no guide to its food-flowers, its mate, or 

 the proper tree or plant on which to lay its eggs. It 

 seems to have lost its connection with the world and 

 is very helpless. Legs are essential for clinging to a 

 support when at rest, but five of the six may be lost 

 without making the moth helpless, for we have seen a 

 sphingid moth, whose legs on one side had been broken 

 off in some way, cling by the fore leg of the other side 



