l6 ' THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



jar, or in a basin with a damp towel over the top. Butterflies and nioths 

 stored in the envelopes mentioned above are best relaxed by putting the ' 

 envelopes carefully without opening them, between the folds of a damp 

 towel placed between two sheets of glass. The cloth should be wetted 

 and then wrung out as dry as possible with the hands. Fold it smoothly 

 and spread out the envelopes separately between the folds. Small butter^* 

 flies and moths will relax in 12 hours and the largest in 24 hours. Beetles' 

 and bugs in paper tubes may be dropped into warm water and will be- 

 ready for setting in a few minutes ; wasps, bees and flies should be placed^' 

 in the sand jar to soften. Mr. W. H. Harrington, who uses these tubes!" 

 extensively for all kinds of insects, finds that specimens can be con-- 

 veniently relaxed by putting the tubes on a piece of wet blotting paper ki- 

 the bottom of one saucer with another mverted over the top. The advaii-'' 

 ^age of this plan is -that if specimens should be accidentally forgotten^ or ' 

 it- -should be inconvenient to mount them at once, the small amount of- 

 moisture soon evaporates, and there is no danger of mould. - ioi^ux 



 1 • .  .  • ; A ? 



i.,J..J -^■J..,. -• .- - - . - -  '  - - - -■  -- .  .- . . _\_ * 



5:;;: - "BUTTERFLIES THAT BATHE." 'l!'^ 



r ".' ' " 



In Goldthwaite's Geogl. Mag., Vol. 2, p. 738 (Nov., 1891), is a paper- 

 on "Butterflies that Bathe", giving observations of M. G. Lyell, jr., in, 

 Australia, on certain butterflies, species not stated, that " backed into the . 

 water until the whole of the body and the lower part of the hind legs were 

 under water, the two forelegs only retaining their hold on dry land. After 

 remaining in this position something like half a minute it flies away, ap- 

 parently refreshed. During the morning I noticed a number doing the 

 same thing. In one instance no less than four were to be seen within a 

 space of not more than three yards * * *. While in the water the 

 fluttering of the wings was suspended, and so intent were the butterflies 

 in the enjoyment of the cold bath that they could hardly move, even 

 when actually touched by the net * * *. Immediately upon emer- 

 ging they flew up again to the hill sides." I do not know where this was 

 originally published. Mr. W. G. Wright sent me the' copy of the Geog. 

 Mag., and remarked that it was a case of depositing eggs on plants in the 

 water, and that the larvae must be aquatic in their habits. I think there . 

 caii be no  doubt of that. Further observations on this butterfly would ' 

 be^welcoTiTe. and lepidopterists'wotild beglad to know what genus and 



species has so unusual a habit. 



' W. H. Edwards, Coalburgh, W. Va.  • 



