MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



to the almost universal distaste for caterpillars, I have used 

 them in this illustration only enough to make their im- 

 portant part in the life history of moths clearly under- 

 stood. I decided that it would be sufficient to explain 

 the whole situation to the satisfaction of any one, if I 

 began the book with a detailed history of moth, egg, 

 caterpillar, and cocoon and then gave complete por- 

 trayal of each stage in the evolution of one cocoon and 

 one pupa case moth. I began with Cecropia, the com- 

 monest of all and one of the most beautiful for the 

 spinners, and ended with Regalis, of earth — and the 

 rarest. At the time I wrote the Regalis chapter, I 

 thought the book finished, in so far that it contained 

 faithful studies of one or more species of each im- 

 portant family, and afforded enough history to put 

 any Nature Lover who wished to go farther, on the 

 right road to glean what he desired from scientific 

 works. 



The luck I had in securing Regalis in such complete 

 form seems to me, the greatest that ever happened to 

 any worker in this field, and it reads more like a fairy 

 tale than sober every -day fact, copiously illustrated with 

 studies from life. At its finish I said, "Now I am done. 

 This book is completed." Soon afteTward, Raymond 

 walked in with a bunch of lilac twigs in his hand from 

 which depended three rolled leaves securely bound to their 

 twigs by silk spinning. ^ . 



316 



