THE DEATH'S HEAD MOTH. 243 



chamber of the soil, and gummy secretion spun by the 

 larva, the pupa evidently obtains freedom from irritation, 

 and a more equable temperature and amount of moisture, 

 and the reason of so many pupae found not coming to 

 maturity may lie in the very fact of this disturbance 

 from their natural position. The difficulty of rearing is 

 so o;t*eat as regfards those that do not turn to the moth in 

 the autumn, that one of various plans for forcing them 

 out is usually resorted to, as to keep them in a warm 

 room, or even near a fire, always covered with moss, or 

 like porous material, which is kept constantly damp ; or 

 they may be placed in bran, or fine sawdust. But 

 probably, after all, in a general way, if simply protected 

 from cold and left undisturbed, they will eventually yield 

 the moths as well as if put through a course of " forcing." 



On the other hand, it is a fact that the moth is not 

 nearly so often met with as the larva. It may be, that 

 while pupae from British parentage require only pro- 

 tection from frost to bring them to maturity, pupae which 

 are the offspring of immigrants die unless aided by 

 artificial warmth. 



Due to the frequency of its death before completing 

 its tranformations, indigenous* specimens of this re- 

 markable and interesting moth are still deemed by 

 collectors desirable acquisitions. 



* Moths of immigrant parents are none the less British or indigenous. 

 Wherever a moth naturally effects its metamorphoses, it must be recog- 

 nized as belonging to the fauna of that country. 



