MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



All the big, non-feeding night moths of the Limberlost 

 are here reproduced and some of day. Of the latter 

 there are thousands, almost as beautiful, but one would 

 require ten ordinary lifetimes and never a duty besides, 

 to secure and reproduce all of them as I have these. 

 There is a big brown moth with white Hues and dark 

 markings, Erebus odora, that I in all probabiUty would 

 lose my head completely if I found in the Limberlost. 

 It is a South American species and has been taken as 

 far north as Canada, so it is not impossible that I yet 

 may find one. I am firmly convinced that a moth even 

 rarer has been in the locality. One day coming from work 

 on a cuckoo nest on the banks of the Wabash, I found 

 Bob and Molly-Cotton scarlet of face, almost breath- 

 less and wailing like the paid mourners of an Arabian 

 funeral, for volume, but with heartbreaking earnestness. 



They had chased a moth neither ever before had seen, 

 until reduced to this state, when it arose high, crossed 

 the river and was lost in the Stanley woods. Pressed 

 for description Bob said it was "gray Scotch plaid." 

 Molly was more definite. She stoutly afiirmed it was a 

 big moth cut from a piece of her camel's-hair dress. 

 Now the dress was purchased in Cincinnati, at greater 

 expense than I could aflford really, my excuse being that 

 it was irresistibly beautiful. The cloth was soft fine 

 camel's-hair, the background white, the plaid broad 

 wavy bands covering the white, and these were made up 



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