20 INSTRUCTIONS IN LEPIDOPTERA. 



off, observing whether any pupae fall. Look at the trunk ot 

 the tree to see if anything adheres to it, and then carefully 

 examine the moss itself; experience alone will enable you to 

 detect a spun cocoon." But the collector must not be dis- 

 couraged if in digging for pupa? he is not immediately suc- 

 cessful, for, says Mr. Greene, "you will perhaps see ten 

 elm trees to your eye exactly alike ; at nine you may find 

 nothing ; at the tenth possibly twenty or thirty pupae. I 

 remember on one occasion trying a number of ash trees, 

 without the slightest success, and was about to give up the 

 search as hopeless when I resolved to try one more ; at that 

 one I found forty-six pupae of Ennomos illunaria, and three 

 of Pcecilocampa Populi ! 



No pupae hunter can hope for success unless he have a good 

 stock of patience and perseverance : he must not mind cold 

 hands, wet feet, or an aching back ; for although these are 

 drawbacks, yet is the pursuit quite exciting when success- 

 ful, and it will reward the seeker not merely of Lejndop- 

 tera, but also of all the other orders of insects. 



The best months for digging are October, November, and 

 December, for the spring and summer insects; July and 

 August for the autumnal species." 



And, thirdly, we may collect Lejndojjtera in the cater- 

 pillar or larva state. Those who wish to collect larvae 

 would do well to turn out early in the morning, for 

 many larvae are epicures, and only eat whilst their food 

 is flavoured with the morning dew ; many of the Noctuce 

 larvae feed only by night and should be sought for with a 

 lantern ; those which feed in hedges and trees may fre- 

 quently be obtained by beating, taking the precaution of hold- 

 ing a net or inverted umbrella under the object beaten ; many 

 larvae may be found by looking for their " frass," the indi- 

 cations where they have eaten, or their ejectamenta ; in very 

 windy weather many larvae get dislodged from the trees by 



