MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



where the female's were a Uttle rounded. The top of the 

 abdomen had the middle band of such strong red that it 

 threw the same colour over the bands above and below 

 it; giving to the whole moth a strong red appearance when 

 on wing. They were so fascinating the birds were for- 

 gotten, and the hillside hunted for them until a pair 

 were secured to carry home for identification, before the 

 whistle of the cardinal from Rainbow Bottom rang so 

 sharply that I remembered this was the day I had hoped 

 to secure his likeness; and here I was allowing a little 

 red-nosed moth so to thrust itself upon my attention, 

 that my cameras were not even set up and focused on 

 the sumac. 



This tiay sunshine moth, Hemaris Thysbe, was easy 

 of identification, and its whole life history before me 

 on the hillside. I was too busy with the birds to raise 

 many caterpillars, so reference to several books taught 

 me that they all agreed on the main points of Hemaris 

 history. 



Hemaris means "bloody nose." "Bloody nose" on 

 account of the red first noticed on the face, though some 

 writers called them "Clear wings," because of the trans- 

 parent spaces on the wings. Certainly "clear wings" 

 is a most appropriate and poetic name for this moth. 

 Fastidious people will undoubtedly prefer it for common 

 usage. For myself, I always think of the delica gaudy 

 little creature, greedily thrusting its blood-red nc ^ into 



£90 



