58 THE LEPIDOPTERIST 



moths are attracted to the Hght and in their down- 

 ward dash land in the tilm of oil which kills them. 

 Next morning I carefully remove such specimens as 

 I wish to keep and laying them on a sheet of blotting 

 paper the excess oil is soon absorbed. I then im- 

 mediately place them in a shallow pan filled with 

 gasoline and allow them to remain in same for half 

 an hour. Again I remove them with care and place 

 on a fresh sheet of blotting paper, which together 

 with the air, rapidly absorbs the effects of the gaso- 

 line bath and as soon as they are thoroughly dry I pin 

 them or place in relaxing jar for future mounting. 

 By this method my wife and I have taken hundreds 

 of nice specimens and the beauty of the scheme is 

 that it "acts while you sleep." 



In seaching for larvae in the semitropical climate of 

 Florida the collector must bear in mind that as a 

 jule the food plants, even of the more common 

 things, will be dififerent. Then, too, in the matter 

 of season he will find accepted months for laval 

 state of certain species, decidedly topsy-turvy. As 

 an example, I will say that I have taken freshly 

 hatched specimens of the common Ute. bella during 

 every month of the year with the possible exception 

 of December. Seasons overlap and are very con- 

 fusing. There does not seem to be any definite 

 dormant season as in the North — most things being 

 a case of almost continuous performance, excepting, 

 of course such things as are purely single-brooded. 

 Even in the latter case the actual season of emerging 

 is often much longer than elsewhere. 



The following are a few notes on the food plants 

 and habits of some of the species that I have parti- 

 cularly observed. 



Dahana atripennis, Grt : This rare little moth I 

 have taken on flowers near evening during the months 

 of March to June. It deposits its eggs singly on the 

 fresh new filaments or leaves of the Spanish Moss. 

 The eggs are small — about the size of Aut. brassicae 

 white, but turn a lovely shade of lavender just be- 

 fore hatching, which takes place in from four to five 



