1 8 Butterflies and Moths of Teneriffe. 



Armigera, among the others ; also moth and butterfly 

 larvae should be kept separate. 



For moth larvae it is essential to have some fine earth 

 (previously baked to destroy the ants, which are very 

 troublesome) spread on the bottom of the box, from 1 to 

 2 inches thick. The caterpillars bury themselves in this 

 when they have finished feeding, making for themselves 

 a slight mould of earth, welded together with silk-like 

 threads. Different species, however, vary in their mode 

 of procedure, some making very slight, and others more 

 pronounced cocoons; while yet others make quite an 

 oval shell, choosing only the finest grains of earth with 

 which to construct their houses. 



It is said that some sort of dried leaf answers the 

 purpose of earth, and is less likely to injure the moth's 

 plumage, but the former mode has been found to be 

 perfectly successful. Place the plant on which the 

 animal is to feed in a moist pot of earth, or in a bottle of 

 water, so as to keep it fresh. If the latter mode is 

 adopted, care must be taken that the animal does not 

 drop into the water ; so it is best to choose a wide- 

 mouthed' bottle, putting a bung with a hole in it as a 



