The first pair clung to
the stamens of the rose, the second to the petals, and the third
stretched out and rested on a leaf.
There were beautiful markings of very dark colour and white on the
thorax, head, shoulders, and back wings next the body. The big
eyes, quite the largest of any moth I remember, reminded me of owl
eyes in the light. The antennae, dark, grey-brown on top, and
white on the under side, turned back and drooped beside the costa,
no doubt in the position they occupied in the pupa case.
The location was so warm, and the moth dried so rapidly, that by
the time two good studies were made of him in this position, he
felt able to step to some leaves, and with no warning whatever,
reversed his wings to the `fly' position, so that only the top
side of the front pair showed. The colour was very rich and
beautiful, but so broken in small patches and lines, as to be
difficult to describe. With the reversal of the wings the
antennae flared a little higher, and the exercise of the sucking
tube began.
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