The Great Peacock 



not impossible to find in my near neighbour- 

 hood, the cocoons of the Great Peacock are 

 at least very rare, for old almond-trees, on 

 which the caterpillars live, are scarce in these 

 parts. For two winters I visited every one of 

 those decayed trees at the lower part of the 

 trunk, under the tangle of hard grasses in 

 which they are clad, and time after time I 

 returned empty-handed. Therefore my hun- 

 dred and fifty Moths came from afar, 

 from very far, within a radius of per- 

 haps a mile and a half or more. How 

 did they know of what was happening in my 

 study? 



The perceptive faculties can receive inform- 

 ation from a distance by means of three 

 agents : light, sound and smell. Is it permis- 

 sible to speak of vision in this instance? I 

 will readily admit that sight guides the visit- 

 ors once they have passed through the open 

 window. But before that, in the mystery out 

 of doors! It would not be enough to grant 

 them the fabulous eye of the Lynx, which was 

 supposed to see through walls; we should 

 have to admit a keenness of sight which could 

 be exercised miles away. It is useless to dis- 

 cuss anything so outrageous; let us pass on. 



261 



