The little fellows were pronouncedly yellow.
The black head with a grey stripe joined the thorax
with a yellow band. The body was yellow with
black rings, the anal parts black, the legs pale greyish
yellow. They made their first moult on the tenth
day and when ready to eat again they were stronger
yellow than before, with many touches of black.
They moulted four times, each producing slight changes
until the third, when the body took on a greenish
tinge, delicate and frosty in appearance. The
heads were yellow with touches of black, and the anal
shield even stronger yellow, with black. At
the last moult there came a touch of red on the thorax,
and of deep blue on the latter part of the body.
In spinning they gummed over the upper surface of
a leaf and, covering it with silk, drew it together
so that nothing could be seen of the work inside.
They began spinning some on the forty-second, some
on the forty-third day, when about three inches in
length and plump to bursting. I think at a puncture
in the skin they would have spurted like a fountain.
They began spinning at night and were from sight
before I went to them the following morning.
So I hunted a box and packed them away with utmost
care.
I selected a box in which some mounted moths had been
sent me by a friend in Louisiana, and when I went
to examine my cocoons toward spring, to my horror
I found the contents of the box chopped to pieces
and totally destroyed. Pestiferous little ‘clothes’
moths must have infested the box, for there were none
elsewhere in the Cabin. For a while this appeared
to be too bad luck; but when luck turns squarely against
you, that is the time to test the essence and quality
of the word `friend.’ So I sat me down
and wrote to my friend, Professor Rowley, of Missouri,
and told him I wanted Promethea for the completion
of this book; that I had an opportunity to make studies
of them and my plate was light-struck, and house-moths
had eaten my cocoons. Could he do anything?
To be sure he could. I am very certain he
sent me two dozen `perfectly good’ cocoons.
From the abundance of males that have come to seek
females of this species at the Cabin, ample proof
seems furnished that they are a very common Limberlost
product; but I never have found, even when searching
for them, or had brought to me a cocoon of this variety,
save the three on one little branch found by Raymond,
when he did not know what they were. Because
of the length of spinning which these caterpillars
use to attach their cocoons, they dangle freely
in the wind, and this gives them especial freedom from
attack.
CHAPTER XV The King of the Poets: Citheronia Regalis
To the impetuosity of youth I owe my first acquaintance
with the rarest moth of the Limberlost; “not
common anywhere,” say scientific authorities.
Molly-Cotton and I were driving to Portland-town,
ten miles south of our home. As customary, I
was watching fields, woods, fence corners and roadside
in search of subjects; for many beautiful cocoons
and caterpillars, much to be desired, have been located
while driving over the country on business or pleasure.
