MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



amateur has trouble, when often only a few words would 

 suffice. 



For example, any one of half a dozen writers tells us 

 that when a caterpillar finishes eating and is ready to go 

 into winter quarters it crawls rapidly around for a time, 

 empties the intestines, and transformation takes place. 

 Why do not some of them explain further that a 

 caterpillar of, say, six inches in length wiU shrink to three, 

 its skin become loosened, the horns drop Ump, and the 

 creature appear dead and disintegrating.? Because 

 no one mentioned these things, I concluded that 

 the fijst caterpillar I found in this state was lost to me 

 and threw it away. A few words would have saved 

 the complete history of a beautiful moth, to secure 

 which no second opportunity was presented for five 

 years. 



Several works I consulted united in the simple state- 

 ment that certain caterpillars pupate in the ground. 



In Packard's "Guide," on page ninety-seven you will 

 find this, — "Lepidopterous pupae should be . . . kept 

 moist in mould until the image appears." I followed 

 this direction, even taking the precaution to bake the 

 earth used, because I was very anxious about some rare 

 moths. When they failed to emerge in season I dug 

 them out, only to find that those not moulded had been 

 held fast by the damp, packed earth, and all were 

 ruined. I learned by investigation that pupation takes 



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