MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



quently met while at my work, sitting on the veranda in 

 an animated business discussion with the Deacon. 



"I brought you a pair of big moths that I found this 

 morning on some bushes beside the road," said Mr. Pettis. 

 "I went to give Mr. Porter a peep to see if he thought 

 you'd want them, and they both got away. He was quicker 

 than I, and caught the larger one, but mine sailed over 

 the top of that tree." He indicated an elm not far away. 



"Did you know them?" I asked the Deacon. 



"No," he answered. "You have none of the kind. 

 They are big as birds and a beauitful yellow." 



"Yellow!" No doubt I was unduly emphatic. "Yel- 

 low! Didn't you know better than to open a box with 

 moths in it outdoors at night.'' " 



"It was my fault," interposed Mr. Pettis. "He 

 told me not to open the box, but I had shown them a 

 dozen times to-day and they never moved. I didn't think 

 about night being their time to fly. I am very sorry." 



So was I. Sorry enough to have cried, but I tried my 

 best to conceal it. Anyway, it might be lo, and I had 

 that. On going inside to examine the moth, I found a 

 large female Eacles Imperialis, with not a scale of down 

 misplaced. Even by gas light I could see that the yellow 

 of the living moth was a warm canary colour, and the 

 lavender of the mounted specimen closer heUotrope on 

 the living, for there were pinkish tints that had faded 

 from the pinned moth. 



139 



