Quickly as possible I changed the plates again; the time that
elapsed could not have been over half a minute. The male was trying
to creep up the wall, and the increase in the length and expansion
of the female's wings could be seen. The colours on both were
exquisite, but they grew a trifle less brilliant as the moths
became dry.
Again I turned to the business of plate changing. The heat was
intense, and perspiration was streaming from my face. I called
to Molly-Cotton to shield the moths while I made the change.
"Drat the moths!" cried the Deacon. "Shade your mother!" Being
an obedient girl, she shifted the umbrella, and by the time I was
ready for business, the male was on the logs and travelling up the
side of the Cabin. The female was climbing toward the logs also,
so that a side view showed her wings already beginning to lift
above her back.
I had only five snapshot plates in my holders, so I was compelled
to stop. It was as well, for surely the record was complete, and
I was almost prostrate with excitement and heat.
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