SOUTH AFRICAN CATERPILLARS 181 



disturbed, by iiieaiis of a sudden contraction, actually 

 jump away from the tree and be lost among the litter on 

 the ground. To provide for such a contingency, it is 

 therefore always well to hold the hand or a net under the 

 place which is being examined. 



And, lastly, we must not forget that a great number of 

 the smaller species are leaf -miners or live in seeds, fruits, 

 the heads of Compositae, etc. These are better collected 

 when the fruit is ripening, because then there is less 

 chance of the larva dying through lack of the necessary 

 moisture. The gradual drying out of the material ap- 

 •proaches to the natural condition. 



AVhen collecting caterxnllars it is a common mistake 

 (which we have repeatedly made ourselves) to cram a 

 great number of miscellaneous larv?e into one box. Apart 

 from the certainty of getting the food-plants mixed, the 

 larvae, when crowded, will often injure each other or be- 

 come soiled with excrement, or the moisture in the box 

 becomes excessive. These conditions quickly affect the 

 caterpillars and reduce their vitality, making subsequent 

 rearing a diflicult matter. One should go provided Avith 

 several small boxes; the various species, or such as ap- 

 pear to be different, should be kept separate, and a piece 

 of the food-plant should be included. If the food-plant 

 is knoAvn, its name should be jotted down at the time; 

 if unknown, various parts of the plant, especially flowers 

 and fruit, should be collected and the different kinds 

 distinguished by a number. Then, at home, some of our 

 botanical friends will probably be able to name the plant. 

 If the species of plant does not grow near our home, we 

 can most probably find a representative of the same 

 genus, or even family, nearby which can be offered to the 

 caterpillar. In most cases we shall find that there is 

 little difficulty in rearing the larva on this substitute, 

 especially if the caterpillar is nearly full grown w^hen 

 collected. Young larvi^e are often more particular about 

 their food and more troublesome to rear. y<J\\ T d^^Nv 



Lu L I B R A R Y|z^ 



