184 APPENDIX. 



" house, nor to be continually wasting their energies in the 

 construction of new ones, so that one's ingenuity is often 

 taxed to keep them happy; but patience and careful at- 

 tention to their natural conditions Avill reap their reward, 

 and I believe it is possible with care to breed any of our 

 species in confinement. Caterpillars found partly grown 

 in a state of nature may be reared in confinement for the 

 rest of their lives with equal ease ; only one labors then 

 under the disadvantage, if he cares only for the butterfly, 

 of being rewarded for his pains merely by a fine batch of 

 miuute hymenopterous parasites or a bristling fly or two. 

 To one, however, who is interested in the entire history 

 of these creatures, this is not altogether a loss, for he will 

 add perchance to his stock of butterfly parasites, of which 

 for some species many different kinds are already known. 

 The search for caterpillars in their haunts is often very 

 easy, especially if their food plant, habits, and seasons are 

 known ; to search for a caterpillar out of season is an 

 anachronism one will not enjoy. Partly-eaten leaves are 

 one of the best guides to the discovery of caterpillars; 

 while such as construct nests of any sort are very readily 

 detected, especially when the nests are so built as to ex- 

 pose the under surfaces of leaves, where their upper sur- 

 faces would be expected, as in the case of many of the 

 higher skippers. The caterpillars of the blues, coppers, 

 etc., are perhaps the most difficult to find, l)ecause they so 

 nearly resemble in color the surfaces on which they rest ; 

 the same is true of the caterpillar of our common yellow 

 butterfly ; but when one has once discovered them, and 

 knows lioiv tliey looJc in their natural situations, the search 

 becomes much easier. Others again feed mostly by night 

 and retire by day to the covert of dead leaves on the 

 ground or beneath sticks, and must be sought by the aid 

 of the lantern. Such in particular are the caterpillars of 

 our satyrs and fritillaries. 



