proud! study of moths FROM LIVING SPECIMENS 287 



that Mother had seen the damp, feeble creature cUnging to the 

 cocoon. It had begun to exercise its wings a httle when she 

 discovered it. A woman who Hved near us owned Gene Stratton 

 Porter's "Moths of the Limberlost". Mother had borrowed it, 

 and we looked through it to identify otir specimen. At last we 

 found a moth that seemed to correspond to ours. The name of 

 the moth was Cecropia, or Robin Moth. The latter name was 

 given because the chief colors of the moth are gray and red. The 

 grotmd color of the wings is gray. Near the edge are black lines 

 and farther in is a terra-cotta line shading into white. On each 

 wing is a terra-cotta and white half -moon. Near the margin of 

 the upper wings is an irregular line of lavender. The cocoon, as 

 well as the moth itself, is very helpful in identification of species. 

 The shape does not vary much; the cocoon is generally rather 

 long and narrow at the ends and fastened along one side to a 

 branch. The middle is large and baggy. I have seen cocoons 

 ranging in color from deep brown to pure white. 



I saw no more moths until June, after school had closed. Then 

 one warm sultry evening, a small boy appeared bearing a large 

 lamp-chimney box, which he asstu^ed me contained a "great big 

 butterfly." He had caught it near an arc light in the park. When 

 I opened the box, I noticed a strong smell of musk. The moth was 

 chiefly dark olive green and cinnamon in color. It had a wing 

 spread of fully six inches. It was a female Regal moth and 

 was depositing eggs. I thought it best to leave the moth over 

 night imtil all the eggs were laid. Then I added her to my col- 

 lection. The eggs were Hke little oval pearls, about one-sixteenth 

 of an inch in diameter. I kept them in a jelly glass for a week, and 

 at the end of that time one could see the yoimg caterpillars inside. 

 When they hatched out, they were brown and hairy, with horns 

 on their heads. After they left the egg, they rested for a time, 

 then ate all their egg shells. They grew rapidly and were soon 

 large enough to be kept in a shoe box, covered over the top wnth 

 mosquito netting. They had enormous appetites and consvimed 

 quantities of hickory and walnut leaves. I gathered fresh leaves 

 twice a day for them. The leaves were always washed in cold 

 water in order to supply the caterpillars with water to drink. It 

 was great fun to watch them eat. Their jaws worked from side 

 to side, never stopping until a whole leaf was devoured. They were 

 so interesting that I spent most of my time feeding them, cleaning 



