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The moths that fly by day and feed are of the Sphinginae group, Celeus and Carolina, or Choerocampinae, which includes the exquisite Deilephila Lineata, and its cousins; also Sphingidae, which cover the clear-winged Hemaris diffinis and Thysbe.
This tiny sunshine moth, Hemaris Thysbe, was easy ofidentification, and its whole life history before me on the hillside. I was too busy with the birds to raise many caterpillars, so reference to several books taught me that they all agreed on the main points of Hemaris history.
There was not a Thysbe in front of the lens, so picking up a long cudgel I always carry afield, and going quietly to surrounding thistles, I jarred them lightly with it, and began rounding up the Hemaris family in the direction of the camera. The trick was a complete success. Soon I had an exposure on two.
Hemaris means `bloody nose. `Bloody nose' on account of the red first noticed on the face, though some writers called them 'Clear wings, because of the transparent spaces on the wings. Certainly `clear wings' is a most appropriate and poetic name for this moth. Fastidious people will undoubtedly prefer it for common usage.
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