The Scottish Naturalist. ^ 



waist. The wick should be flat, and made of "swan's-down, or " moleskin, ' 

 while the best fuel is colza oil. We should always be sure to attend to the trim- 

 ming and filling of the lamp before setting out, and not forget to take a good 

 supply of lights. A great deal better than the colza oil lamp appears to be the 

 sponge spirit lamp, which Mr. James Stewart has tried and found to work well. 

 Its superior advantages are better light, greater cleanliness, and less trouble in 

 trimming. I have not yet tried it myself, but have every intention of doing so.* 

 As important as the lantern is the supply of chip-boxes, which should be placed 

 in an accessible right-hand pocket— a pocket on the left being reserved tor the 

 boxes containing our captures. We should also be provided with a killing-bottle 

 and with a corked box and pins. Then we must not forget to take a net, — an 

 ordinary butterfly net will do ; but as its shape admits of contact with the tree 

 at one point only of its circumference, many moths in falling from the sugar — 

 a trick to which many (and, of course, generally the rarer) species are unfor- 

 tunately addicted — manage not to tumble into the net. To circumvent these 

 species, Dr. Knaggs has invented a triangular-shaped net, the base of the tri- 

 angle being made of cat gut, or other flexible materia 1 , which can adapt itself 

 to the tree trunk. The bag of this net may be shallower than that of an ordi- 

 nary net. Having, then, got everything in readiness, we procee 1 to look at oar 

 sugar. In approaching a sugared tree, be careful to conceal the light, — either 

 by turning on the dark slide, or (as is my usual plan) by putting the glass 

 against one's breast, — then, having placed the net in position below the sugar, 

 turn on the light, and examine the tree. If there are any moths there that are 

 needed, do not lose any time in boxing them. This is easily done by placing a 

 box immediately below the moth, and then pushing the box gently upwards till 

 the moth falls in ; if, however, it is unreasonable enough to object to do so, it can Le 

 knocked in by the finger, or better still, the lid of the box. If the insect trie, 

 to come out of the box before the lid is put on, place a finger across the opening. 

 In all cases, however, when the moth is at all lively, it is better to place the lid 

 above, and the box below it, and shut it up without delay. Some species wid 

 not remain quiet in a box, and should therefore be taken off the su<;ar into the 

 killing-bottle, and when dead, pinned into the corked box. Experience will show 

 what species require this treatment : Cymatophora duplaris, Mania maura, aid 

 perhaps Aplecta occulta, A. tincta, and Hadena recti tinea are a few of them. As a 

 rule, however, moths get so perfectly intoxicated that they remain quite quie-, 

 both on the sugar (for a few minutes), and in the boxes ; though at some 

 seasons of the year they seem to be rather restless and apt to fly off when disturb- 

 ed on the sugar. In taking the moths off the sugar, precedence should be 

 given to the liveliest, if desirable, species ; then to the rarest ; and finally the 

 commoner ones may be lookel over, and those needed taken. If there is any 

 doubt as to what a specimen is, it is better to take it (even if it is worn), for ex- 

 amination by day-light, when, if found worthless, it can be set at liberty. 

 Having thus looked rapidly over the moths that are on the sugar, wc should 

 next examine the net, and then different parts of the tree, for moths after having 

 had a feed often crawl oft a little way and take a siesta — going, as my friend 

 Mr. Norman pointed out to me, even several feet from the sugar, and hanging 

 on to any little twigs that project from the tree. Bear in mind t.vo things, in 



* These lamps will require to have a lantern made to fit them, which any tinsmith 

 can do. As more heat is produce! than by the colza lamp, it may be advisable to pro- 

 vide more air holes than in an ordinary lantern. 



