THE SPHINX MOTH 



one for form ? It came to the handle of my garden 

 roller when this was new and painted with gaudy 

 colours. It took these rings of coarse colour for blos- 

 soms to which they bore no likeness. The bee or 

 butterfly appears to be only infallible of eye when it is 

 close to the object, almost touching. At a little dis- 

 tance, perhaps it sees just a blob of colour ; it must 

 come very near to make out the exact form and texture 

 of the thing observed. 



To read the flowers aright, it must have its face 

 pressed close to the petals, as a short-sighted man 

 must have his face pressed to the book. Once at close 

 quarters, however, the insect sight is very powerful 

 it has every detail under microscope. 



Another thing about the little sphinx moth is the 

 quickness with which it discovers whether a blossom 

 has honey or not once it is up to the flower and 

 poised. That fine feeler, the trunk, is out of the 

 nectary in the flash of a second if there is no 

 honey. 



By the way, how does the sphinx carry its trunk 

 when it is honey-seeking and roving from blossom to 

 blossom ? Well, when the flowers are very close to- 

 gether, when they belong to one bed or patch, the sphinx 

 does not neatly roll up the trunk and pack it away ; 

 nor is the trunk carried about quite unrolled. A sort 

 of compromise is more convenient. The trunk is 



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