180 APPENDIX. 



the eager youth must uot exj^ect at once to obtain her 

 secret, for he will find himself only too often foiled. Once 

 known, the way is comparatively easy ; catch a female, 

 selecting for the purpose one which has evidently been fly- 

 ing for at least a few days, and which is gravid with eggs, 

 and inclose her beneath a gauze covering upon the grow- 

 ing plant. If it be a tree or bush, tie a bag of mosquito- 

 netting over a bough, taking care that there are some 

 tender leaves upon it (and no ants), and so arrange the 

 bag that the butterfly may rest naturally upon them ; in- 

 close the butterfly and she will pretty certainly deposit 

 eggs in the course of a day or two. Or, if the plant be 

 one of small size, use a headless keg, covered at one end 

 with gauze ; even a discarded vegetable-can will serve the 

 purpose ; or again, a canopy can be made over a plant by 

 thrusting the ends of a couple of bent twigs into the 

 ground and covering with gauze. A bit of sugared apple 

 or other fruit should be inclosed as food. 



After a few days' confinement the prisoner should be 

 set free. If she has not then laid eggs, she probably can- 

 not, and she should be released. If she has yielded the 

 desired harvest, she should be rewarded with liberty. 

 When obtained, the leaves or twigs upon which the eggs 

 are found may either be left where they are or carried 

 home to more convenient quarters. 



It is not easy to preserve eggs entire. If they do not 

 hatch they are apt to shrivel, excepting such as have a 

 dense pellicle, like the hemispherical eggs of the smaller 

 skippers or the tiarate eggs of the blues and cop|)ers; it is 

 nearly impossible, too, to prick the egg and save its form. 

 The best way is to watch for the egress of the caterpillar 

 and the moment it is free separate it from the shell, 

 which it will otlierwise devour; in that way I have ob- 

 tained a considerable collection of these little gems. Or 

 they may be obtained from the plants on which they have 



