80 THE REPORT OF THE [ No. 19 



is probable that she ■will do so in confinement. All females, howevtr, will not lay e^gs 

 in confinement ; from some it is exceedingly diflBcult to obtain ova. Eggs from butter- 

 flies especially are hard to procure, and extra inducements have sometimes to be offered. 

 A good plan is to feed the female with a sweetened fluid, such as honey diluted in water. 

 This can be accomplished by touching the tongue with a fine camel's hair brash which 

 has been dipped in the fluid. Another method to secure eggs is to imprison the female 

 in a bag made of muslin, or some such material, placed over the plant upon 

 which the larvae feed. In the case of larvse which feed on low plants such as grasses, 

 etc., if a small plant is transferred to a flower-pot, a covering of muslin, with the aid of 

 two piecfs of wire bent into a hoop, can be placed over the plant and the living female 

 enclosed. It is best to have a portion of the plant touching the muslin at the top, as 

 many species will leave the plant and deposit some, if not all, of their eggs on the mus- 

 lin. If eggs can be secured through a friend living at a distance, they will travel safely 

 through the mail. The present summer several batches of eggs were received at Ottawa 

 from points in the Rocky Mountains, Northwest Territories and other distant localities. 



If a number of specimens of the same species are being bred it is nice to have a speci- 

 men or two of each larval stage inflated, as it is important that as much of the life history 

 us possible be preserved for the cabinet. If the first stages are too small to inflate, they can 

 of course be preserved in alcohol.or some other fluid, or they may be dried on hot sand with 

 some success. There are various methods of inflating larvae, and some experience is 

 needed before satisfactory results will be attained. Hairy caterpillars especially are 

 difficult to inflate, but experience will teach the beginner that great care and much 

 patience are required in order to do good work. 



For inflating larvae very few appliances are necessary, and these are not at all ex- 

 pensive. They can easily be had from most of the dealers in entomological supplies. 



When the larva has reached the stage at which it is to be preserved the first thing 

 to do, of course, is to kill it, and this can be done by dropping it for a minute or two 

 into a receptacle containing methylated spirits. When the caterpillar is dead it can be 

 taken out of the liquid with a small pair of forceps, and placed on its side on a piece of 

 blotting paper. When this is done take a small piece of the same paper in the left hand 

 placing it over the larva, gently pressing the front segments, with exception of head. A 

 small sharp pointed instrument should then be inserted into the anal orifice, so as to 

 admit of some of the liquid contents coming out. For all except minute larvae a large 

 needle, or a pair of small forceps with curved points, may be used for this purpose. 

 Further pressu»'e will now be necessary in order that the remaining contents may be 

 squeezed out. Just sufficient pressure should be applied to remove the contents ; if too 

 much is given the skin will be bruised. 



When the viscera have all been removed, insert the necessary-sized glass inflating- 

 tube into the anal orifice. The larger of these tubes have clips or spring attachments to 

 hold the larval skin. If the caterpillar be small it can be fastened to a smaller tube by 

 means of a thread of fine silk wound around the -posterior spgmenb. The inflating-tube 

 can now be inserted into the rubber tube of the double bulb inftator and the empty skin 

 gently inflated. If everything is all right it can then be placed in the oven and slowly 

 dried. A suitable oven can be made by any tinsmith, and is simply a tin box about 6 

 inches long by 4 inches wide and 2J inches deep, supported on legs to allow of the lamp 

 being placed beneath it, and having an opening in one end to insert the larva, with 

 another at the bottom for the circulation of air or to allow the escape of some of the heat. 

 A sheet of glass let into the top enables the operator to see what he is doing. 

 The drying process should be carried on over the hottest place, commencing with 

 the front segments and working backwards. Oare must be taken not to hold the same 

 portion of the larval skin too long over the heat, but the segments that are being dried 

 should be kept turned, so that all sides may be dried about the same time. While this 

 is going on too much air must not be pumped into the skin ; if this is done it will stretch 

 the larva and give it an unnatural appearance. 



Any small spiri^-, lamp will do to supply the heat, which must be regulated according 

 to the nature of the species being inflated. Too great a heat will destroy the colors of 

 many larvae, and this is especially so in the case of delicate green caterpillars. Hairy 

 larvse, as already mentioned, are r-^ther difficult to blow, as the hairs are very easily 

 rubbed ofi, and unless care is taken in the inflating the segments will be sure to expand 



