MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



name there is some possibility of remembering, and 

 coloured illustrations to guide in identification. This 

 is offered as the book of the Nature Lover and is designed 

 solely to fill this purpose. 



I never have seen or heard of any person who, on being 

 shown any one of ten of our most beautiful moths, did 

 not consider and promptly pronounce it the most ex- 

 quisite creation he ever had seen, and evince a Uvely 

 interest in its history. But when he found it necessary 

 to purchase a text-book, devoid of all human interest 

 or literary possibility, and wade through pages of scientific 

 dissertation, all the time having the feeling that perhaps 

 through his lack of experience his identification was 

 not right, he usually preferred to remain in ignorance. 

 It is in the beUef that all Nature Lovers, afield for enter- 

 tainment or instruction, will be thankful for a simpli- 

 fication of any method now existing for becoming ac- 

 quainted with moths, that this book is written and il- 

 lustrated. 



In gathering the material used I think it is quite true 

 that I have lost as many good subjects as I have secured, 

 in my efforts to follow the teachings of scientific writers. 

 My complaint against them is that they neglect essen- 

 tial detail and are not always rightly informed. They 

 confuse one with a flood of scientific terms describ- 

 ing minute anatomical parts and fail to explain the 

 simple yet absolutely essential points over which an 



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