EDITORIAL 313 



of interest. In fact there are many moths that have no active 

 mouth-parts and therefore do not eat at all. The swift flying 

 sphinges and some others seem to continue ajkeen interest in refresh- 

 ments but they sip only nectar. Other and wider interests now 

 prevail. The wings of the moth can be compared to the down of 

 the^tliistle|[seed, — a means of spreading the species over a wide 

 area. In the safety of the night the newly winged moths come forth 

 and through some sense that we merely guess at, so wonder- 

 ful is it, they seek and find their mates in the friendly darkness. 



Now it devolves upon the mother moth to study botany in 

 moth fashion ; she must find the special species of plants that her 

 kind have lived upon during the past ages on which to lay her eggs; 

 if she should make a mistake, her youngsters would refuse to eat 

 and promptly die after hatching, for caterpillars are the most 

 fastidious as to their food of all created beings ; a caterpillar whose 

 ancestors have lived upon cherry would rather starve than take 

 one bite from an oak leaf. Thus it behooves the mother moth 

 to look well and be sure of her plant species before she ventures 

 to deposit her eggs upon it. 



In only one particular do moths seem to be lacking in wisdom, 

 and that is their recklessness in seeking the Ught. Who has not of 

 a warm evening sat at a closed window and watched the moths 

 eagerly trying to force their way through the barrier of glass in 

 their efforts to reach the lamp ? They flutter up and down, some 

 with eyes glowing like rubies, others like emeralds or topaz, all 

 expressing the fierce desire to reach the flame, and experience 

 so far as we can detect, a bhssful holocaust. What faint percep- 

 tions of beauty and greater things in their Httle minds leads them 

 to this act must always remain a mystery to us; but we, who have 

 so many inchoate aspirations and emotions, should sympathize, 

 even if we cannot understand. 



NOTICE 



Extra copies of this issue will be available and orders for same 

 should be placed promptly. Price 15c per copy as long as supply last. 



A special printing of this issue will also be run and bound in 

 tough paper cover similar to our OUTLINE OF NA TURE-STUDY 

 and entitled MOTH STUDY Number. Price 25c per copy. Ten 

 or more copies at 20c per copy postpaid. It wiU be a valuable addi- 

 tion to the teacher's library. 



