212 AN ANGLER AT LARGE 



certain little wood on the Isle of Wight. 

 Between them they had murdered taken, I 

 should say over fifty of those delicate creatures. 

 No, I was not at all inconveniencing them. They 

 had nothing to do now but wait until it was dark 

 enough to visit the sugar. I thought of them, 

 going round with their lanterns and cyanide of 

 potassium, bottling the Red Underwings, and 

 bottling them, and bottling them, and I wondered 

 if it could ever be dark enough for such work. 



Did you ever see a Red Underwing ? A robust 

 and noble insect: great grey and black wings 

 above, and below bright cherry slashed with black. 

 The bold splendour of the creature, when it is 

 fresh from its pupa-shell, takes away your breath. 

 It is a big chief of the Noctuas, rivalled by few, 

 outshone by none. Among the Hawk Moths 

 alone you shall look for its master. And my 

 decent acquaintance confessed, without a tremor, 

 to having stifled, three nights previously, fifteen 

 of these joyful lives. He and the wife were late 

 to bed that night, " But," he said, " after a long 

 evening out of doors, how soundly one sleeps ! " 



Yes, it was surprising how many people collected 

 nowadays. When he began, five years before 

 (accursed day!) so general was the amusement 

 which his net excited that he was quite nervous 

 about carrying it. " Bug Hunter ! " they called 



