A stiff bunch of bristles serves the
same purpose in most females, while some have a lobe extending
from the fore-wing. As long as the costa remains unbroken to
preserve balance, a moth that has become entangled in bushes
or suffered rough treatment from birds can fly with badly
damaged wing surfaces.
In some species, notably the Attacine group and all non-feeding,
night-flying moths, the legs are short, closely covered with long
down of the most delicate colours of the moth, and sometimes
decorated with different shades. Luna has beautiful lavender legs,
Imperialis yellow, and Regalis red-brown. The day-flying, feeding
group have longer, slenderer legs, covered with shorter down, and
carry more elaborate markings. This provision is to enable them
to cling firmly to flower or twig while feeding, to help them to
lift the body higher, and walk dextrously in searching for food.
It is also noticeable that these moths have, for their size,
comparatively much longer, slenderer wings than the non-feeders,
and they can turn them back and fold them together in the fly
position, thus enabling them to force their way into nectar-bearing
flowers of trumpet shape.
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