PRESERVE LEPIDOPTRROUS INSECTS. 43 



spots with little iinder-iiowtli. Many a moth would he lost 

 in the lower shrubs, and also tliere is more difiiculty in 

 spotting snakes. These undesirable visitors are often drawn 

 to the " suoar " in the followino- way. The insects which 

 are attracted by the "sugar" frequently drop down and 

 toads come to feed upon them, and sometimes three or four 

 may be seen at the ])ase of the " sugared " spot. These in 

 their turn become a source of attraction to the snakes. It is 

 therefore best to be careful and remove as much of the 

 vegetation underneath the selected spot as possible. 



Some nights are better than others for this method of 

 collecting. Windy and moonlight nights are always unpro- 

 ductive. A lioht rain on the other hand often makes moths 

 come out in abundance. When it is dark, the collector visits 

 the " sugared ^' spots one after another, armed with a " bull's- 

 eye ^' lantern. It will be found most pleasant to take a friend 

 along, who can also make himself useful in carrying the 

 lamp and holding, perhaps, a killing-bottle. 



When an insect is seen on the edge of the " sugared '' 

 spot a small killing-bottle is simply placed over it without 

 touching the " sugar,''' then a stiff card is inserted between 

 the mouth of the bottle and the rock or tree-trunk ; and, 

 when the moth is sufficiently stupefied, it is dropped into the 

 larger killing-bottle. In this way a number of moths may 

 be caught with ease, if they only come to the "sugar/' 

 which is, as I said, much too rarely the case in this country 

 to warrant spending many nights collecting in this way. I 

 must add, however, that the moths so caught are usually 

 different from those caught at light. 



Lamplight catching is, on the other hand, perhaps more 

 successful in South Africa than I found it to be in Europe, 

 and at least three-quarters of my collection has been obtained 

 in this manner. The principal point is to have a good light. 

 This means the right kind of light as well as one of sufficient 

 strength. It is true that even candle-light and camp-fires 

 attract moths, but both are obviously insufficient for collect- 

 ing on a scale that rewards the trouble of waiting for what 

 comes. The next thing is the ordinary paraffin lamp of about 



