L\TRODUCTIO.\ 



xxx.u 



sliould secure them without disturbance, by cutting away tlie twig or leaf to which they are 

 attached. We can sometimes discover the eggs of butterflies by watching the females laying ; and 

 the larvae of several species, the transformations of which were previously unknown, have been 

 discovered in this manner. The females of butterflies generally lay their eggs on warm sunny 

 days, generally between lo a.m. and 3 p.m. They generally flit from one plant to another, staying 

 a little while at each, without settling on the flowers themselves. We must carefully note the 

 plants, and examine them after the butterfly has flown away, when we shall probably discover 

 the eggs after a sufiiciently thorough search. Many Dombyccs, Noctuce, and Geometra: will lay their 

 eggs in confinement, and, in many instances, even when they are pinned or set. But to ensure this, 

 it is better to bring home the fertilised female (which we may know by her thicker abdomen) and 

 put her in a good-sized box covered over with gauze, and containing a glass of strongly-scented 

 flowers, among which we should put some of the food-plant, if it can be obtained. The box should 

 then be set in the open air, or at an open window, in the twilight, when moths begin to fly ; and 

 after a day or two we may very likely find the eggs, either on the plants, or on the gauze, or on the 

 sides of the box. When the moth does not lay immediately, it is necessary to feed her, especially 

 if she is a Noctiia, for which purpose a sponge moistened with honey and water should be given 

 to her to sip from. By this means we shall generally obtain our end. When the young larv^-e 

 appear, we must transfer them carefully to the breeding-cage with the end of a feather, but 

 they must be sharply looked after, for fear some of them may have hidden themselves. It is 

 better to line the box with paper, and to tie finely-perforated tissue-paper over the top, 

 in place of a lid, after which we can cut out any portions upon which eggs may have 

 been laid, and transfer them to tightly-fitting pasteboard boxes, from which the larva; cannot 

 escape ; but the eggs must be carefully watched, especially when they show signs of hatching, or 

 the larvae may be starved for want of food. In the interim they should be gently sprinkled with 

 rain-water now and then, and those of butterflies must be sometimes placed in the sun. One 

 advantage of breeding insects from the egg is that they are not likely to be infested with parasites, 

 as many of the larvae which we meet with in a state of nature are. By rearing large numbers of a 

 species, too, we are sure to rear on some occasions very curious and interesting varieties; but it must 

 be added that bred specimens are not unfrequently dwarfed or crippled, probably from some error 

 in management. It will require time and experience for a novice to rear large broods successfully, 

 and it would perhaps be better for him to confine himself to rearing such half-grown larvje as he 

 may happen to meet with at first, till he has learned how to manage them successfully, before he 

 attempts to rear specimens from the &g^. 



Larva-boxes.— \^z.K\'-& may be found either by searching for them, or by beating, shaking, or 

 sweeping them from the plants on which they feed. They may either be brought home in pill- 

 boxes, like those used to put the perfect insects in, or in small tin bo.xes, freely perforated at top 

 and bottom to allow of a free current of air. In wooden or pasteboard bo.xes the food dries very 

 rapidly, on which account most collectors prefer tin ones. The boxes must fit very closely, and 

 may have a lid which screws on. We can either use a number of small boxes, and keep each 

 larva, or at least each species, separate, or can use several larger ones., putting together all those 

 species which feed on the same plant. In the latter case the tins should have a narrow neck, so 

 that we can put a new-comer in without risk of our former captures taking the opportunity to creep 

 out. The beginner must also learn as soon as possible to recognise the cannibal larva;, which 

 will destroy their companions, and always keep these by themselves. The worst larv.-e of all in 

 this respect are those of Cosniia Trapczina, Scopclosoma Satdlitia, and Crocallis Elinguaria. The 

 latter is figured at PI. 49, Fig. 3, a. The larvae of the Lobster Moth (PI. 30, Fig. 8, a) will also 



