110 Kansas A cademy of Science. 



branches of science in which material cannot be so readily secured 

 at night. 



Changes of weather and influence of the moon have a wonderful 

 effect on the movements of insects at night. Warm, damp, dark 

 nights, without perceptible wind, afford the best conditions towards 

 inducing night insects into activity ; then they may be noticed in 

 throngs hovering about every exposed light. At other times, when 

 insects do not appear in ordinary numbers at the lights, the prin- 

 cipal reasons may be due to a chilliness of the air or to a strong 

 wind, in which cases only few of the stronger and hardier species 

 seem to venture out of their haunts. Even on other occasions, 

 when there is no shining moon, and all conditions are apparently 

 favorable for impelling insects to fly, the collector will sometimes 

 meet with disappointment, and be unable to account for the scarcity 

 of specimens around artificial lights. At such times, as well as 

 when the moon is shining, the collector should direct his attention 

 to other methods of collecting, such as the sweeping of herbage^ 

 which can be resorted to particularly on chilly or windy nights ; and, 

 in case of moonlight, he should remember to select the shaded por- 

 tions in thickets, woods, orchards, or parks. A friend with whom I 

 have used the sugar bait relates that he never noticed any difference 

 in collecting whether the moon shone or not ; in fact, he paid no regard 

 whatever to either moonlight or dark nights, but went ahead just 

 the same for one night as another. Doubtless the insects prefer to 

 remain in hiding whenever the moon shines, for they are commonly 

 active before the moon rises, if after dark, or should it set before 

 dawn, they stir about somewhat. The suddenness with which good 

 collecting has failed time and again just at the rising of the moon 

 is remarkable. 



The practical collector will soon learn to note the conditions 

 presented each night before he starts operations, and so can guide 

 himself in the selection of the proper course to adopt in obtaining 

 the best results. On rainy nights he might open a window or two 

 of his room opposite to the direction of the wind, thereby being 

 shielded from rain and in the path of insects flying against the 

 storm, and there catch whatever comes in to the light ; for, in warm 

 weather, such conditions are often extremely favorable towards 

 bringing out the insects. Really there is no time throughout the 

 growing season, whatever the conditions may ordinarily be, but 

 what can be used in one way or another to good advantage in col- 

 lecting. The difficulty will' be to keep up the mounting of the 

 specimens as fast as the collecting is done. Only the novice will re- 



