Moths of the Limberlost | Page 6

wine-colour; Angulifera, the male greyish brown, the female yellowish
red; Promethea, the male resembling a monster Mourning Cloak
butterfly and the female bearing exquisite red-wine flushings; Cynthia,
beautiful in shades of olive green, sprinkled with black, crossed by
bands of pinkish lilac and bearing crescents partly yellow, the
remainder transparent. There are also the deep yellow Io, pale
blue-green Luna, and Polyphemus, brown with pink bands of the
Saturniidae; and light yellow, red-brown and grey Regalis, and
lavender and yellow Imperialis of the Ceratocampidae, and their
relatives. Modest and lovely Modesta belongs with the Smerinthinae
group; and there are others, feeders and non-feeders, forming a list too
long to irncorporate, for I have not mentioned the Catocalae family, the
fore-wings of which resemble those of several members of the
Sphinginae, in colour, and when they take flight, the back ones flash
out colours that run the gamut from palest to deepest reds, yellows, and
browns, crossed by wide circling bands of black; with these,
occasionally the black so predominates that it appears as if the wing
were black and the bands of other colour. All of them are so exquisitely
beautiful that neither the most exacting descriptions, nor photographs
from life, nor water colours faithfully copied from living subjects can
do them justice. They must be seen alive, newly emerged, down intact,
colours at their most brilliant shadings, to be appreciated fully. With
the exception of feeding or refraining from eating, the life processes of
all these are very similar.
Moths are divided into three parts, the head, thorax, and abdomen, with
the different organs of each. The head carries the source of sight, scent,
and the mouth parts, if the moth feeds, while the location of the ears is
not yet settled definitely. Some scientists place hearing in the antennae,
others in a little organ on each side the base of the abdomen. Packard
writes: "The eyes are large and globose and vary in the distance apart in
different families": but fails to tell what I want to know most: the range

and sharpness of their vision. Another writer states that the eyes are so
incomplete in development that a moth only can distinguish light from
darkness and cannot discern your approach at over five feet.
This accords with my experience with Cecropia, Polyphemus, Regalis,
and Imperialis. Luna either can see better, hear acutely, or is naturally
of more active habit. It is difficult to capture by hand in daytime; and
Promethea acts as if its vision were even clearer. This may be the case,
as it flies earlier in the day than any of the others named, being almost
impossible to take by hand unless it is bound to a given spot by sex
attraction. Unquestionably the day fliers that feed--the Sphinginae and
Choerocampinae groups--have fairly good vision, as also the little
"Clear-wings" tribe, for they fly straight to the nectar-giving flowers
and fruits they like best to feed upon, and it is extra good luck if you
capture one by hand or even with a net. It must be remembered that all
of them see and go to a bright light at night from long distances.
Holland writes: "The eyes of moths are often greatly developed," but
makes no definite statements as to their range of vision, until he
reaches the Catocalae family, of which he records: "The hind wings are,
however, most brilliantly coloured. In some species they are banded
with pink, in others with crimson; still others have markings of yellow,
orange, or snowy white on a background of jet black. These colours are
distinctive of the species to a greater or less extent. They are only
displayed at night. The conclusion is irresistibly forced upon us that the
eyes of these creatures are capable of discriminating these colours in
the darkness. We cannot do it. No human eye in the blackness of the
night can distinguish red from orange or crimson from yellow. The
human eye is the greatest of all anatomical marvels, and the most
wonderful piece of animal mechanism in the world, but not all of
power is lodged within it. There are other allied mechanisms which
have the power of responding to certain forms of radiant energy to a
degiee which it does not possess."
This conclusion is not "irresistibly forced" upon me. I do believe, know
in fact, that all day-flying, feeding moths have keener sight and longer
range of vision than non-feeders; but I do not believe the differing

branches of the Catocalae group, or moths of any family, locate each
other "in the blackness of night," by seeing markings distinctly. I can
think of no proof that moths, butterflies or any insects recognize or
appreciate colour. Male moths mate with females of their kind
distinctly different from them in colour,