20 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIX. 



made in exactly the same way as the large ones and offer the ad- 

 ditional advantage in the way of saving of trouble that the cut off end 

 of the cork can be used to put over the cotton wool instead of a card- 

 board disc. 



The German method of high setting for insects is the best and is 

 recommended by Mr. Young. It is especially necessary in India 

 where the enemies of collections are so numerous. 



Coming to the breeding operations : the very young larvse should 

 never be handled ; after they become well-grown they will take 

 no harm from being touched gently : in the former case, when it is 

 desirable to move the young caterpillar, it should be made to 

 walk on to a leaf or twig of its foodplant by gently touching it 

 behind with a feather or something soft. A larva that is quiescent 

 preparing to cast its skin should never be touched or made 

 to move until the process is complete ; otherwise it will most assuredly- 

 die. Such a one may be known by the skin being pale, by its 

 somewhat contracted appearance and particularly, by the neck being- 

 stretched tio-ht, thin behind the head and trraduallv thickenino- 

 backwards. 



Leaves of foodplants wither (juickly in the hot weather and in 

 the cold weather (December — February) and should then never be 

 gathered when the sun is up; they should be taken either before sunrise 

 or after sunset when they will last fairly well. The twigs should be 

 placed in water at once after picking. The food should be renewed at 

 least once a day. Some caterpillars spin " nests " for themselves on 

 particular leaves, ie.^ they cover a leaf over with a thick carpet of silk 

 on which they lie. It is best not to disturb such larvsB but to cut off 

 the leaves intact and pin them on to those of the new food. 



Mr. Young had very little knowledge, except in so far as such 

 is available in books and publications, of the life-histories of butter- 

 flies in this country and has, therefore, made little reference to 

 the eggs, caterpillars or chrysalides. Yet it is certain that much 

 of the interest attaching to insects is to be found, for the enquiring 

 mind, in their habits and development, from the egg to the grub and 

 onwards ; and it is probable that most amateurs will desire to know 

 something about these matters. Many will probably not know how 

 to distinguish a butterfly from a moth, most will have very little idea 

 what the earlier stages of either look like and nearlv all will be 



