MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



ferent shades. Luna has beautiful lavender legs, Imperi- 

 aUs yellow, and Regahs red-brown. The day-flying, 

 feeding group have longer, slenderer legs, covered with 

 shorter down, and carry more elaborate markings. This 

 provision is to enable them to cling firmly to flower or 

 twig while feeding, to help them to lift the body higher, 

 and walk dextrously in searching for food. It is also 

 noticeable that these moths have, for their size, coni- 

 paratively much longer, slenderer wings than the non- 

 feeders, and they can turn them back and fold them 

 together in the fly position, thus enabUng them to force 

 their way into nectar-bearing flowers of trumpet shape. 



The abdomen is velvet soft to the touch, and divided 

 into rings called segments, these being so joined that this 

 member can be turned and twisted at will. In all cases 

 the last ring contains the sex organs. The large abdomen 

 of the female carries several hundred embryo eggs, and 

 that of the male the seminal fluid. 



Much has been written of moths being able to produce 

 odours that attract the sexes, and that are so objection- 

 able as to protect them from birds, mice, and bats. 

 Some beUeve there are scent glands in a few species under 

 the wing scales. I have critically examined scores of 

 wings as to colour markings, but never noticed or smelled 

 these. On some, tufts of bristleUke hairs can be thrust 

 out, that give a discernible odour; but that this carries 

 any distance or is a large factor in attracting the sexes 



44 



