276 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
early part of February. What its food is in a natural state, I 
believe is as yet unknown.—Geo. T. Porritt ; Huddersfield, 
March 3, 1871. 
The Strychnia and Camphor Crotchets—I1 find on 
enquiry that Mr. Doubleday uses a weak solution of 
bichloride of mercury (corrosive sublimate) in alcohol to 
preserve Lepidoptera from the attacks of mites and from mould, 
which it effectually does if properly applied, but I was 
mistaken in supposing that it prevented specimens from 
becoming greasy. Mr. Doubleday opens the abdomens of 
the larger species, carefully removes the contents, and then 
puts in some finely-powered pipe-clay to absorb any grease 
that may remain: when this is effected the pipe-clay is taken 
out and a small quantity of fresh pipe-clay is placed in the 
abdomen, which is then filled up with cotton-wool cut short: 
if a small quantity of grease should afterwards exude (which 
is not often the case) it is easily removed with a little highly- 
rectified spirits of turpentine and powdered pipe-clay. When 
the insects are small they are allowed to remain in very 
pure turpentine for an hour or two. ‘They are then 
placed for a minute or two on blotting-paper to drain, and 
lastly covered with fine-powdered pipe-clay, which will easily 
brush off the specimens when they are dry.— Edward 
Newman. 
Nights for Sugaring.—I have taken the liberty to write 
these few lines, hoping that you may be able to solve the 
following difficulty, vz. “ That after having selected nights 
which seemed, by Dr. Knagg’s book, to be likely to be 
favourable, and after having made the sugaring mixture as he 
directs, and boiled it to the same thickness as treacle, neither 
I, nor any of my fellow-collectors here, have met with the 
least success during the last two seasons; and one gentleman, 
who has collected all his life in the neighbourhood, has never 
had any better luck.” The soil is chalk and greensand, very 
prolific in all Lepidoptera. Would you mention the best 
time of year and nights for sugaring, and the consistency the 
sugar should be made of, and whether, on most nights seem- 
ing suitable, one ought to have success, and if it is the 
exception rather than the rule?—dJ. S. Butter; Netherton 
House, near Hungerford, Berks. 
[Ll am not acquainted with Dr. Knagg’s directions; but, at 
