56 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



possible, but it is the duty of all alike to do their best to discourage 

 any individual who would not scruple to ruthlessly destroy the food- 

 plant of a local species for the advancement of his own interest. 

 Such a one is not worthy of the ' name of entomologist." Let us 

 sincerely hope that it is not too late, and that our worst fears may not 

 be realised. — J. B. Hodgkinson. 



Food-plant of Bombyx trifolii. — With regard to the food-plant 

 of Bomhyx tnfulu in this district, which at present appears to be its 

 chief habitat, its larva feeds almost exclusively on Antlnjllis vulnerariu, 

 the kidney-vetch ; but it will also eat Lotus corniculatm in confinement. 

 Hawthorn and sallow I have found very poor substitutes, as they do 

 not seem to aiford sufficient nutriment to enable the larvaB to pupate 

 successfully. They like to spin up, just beneath the surface of the 

 sand, and must be kept slightly damp. As noticed by Messrs. Turner 

 and Prideaux (Entom. xxvii. 316; xxviii. 16), the effects of removing 

 them, or leaving them alone, seem almost equally disastrous under 

 certain conditions. I usually obviate this by slicing the end off the 

 cocoon with a sharp knife ; great care, however, must be exercised, to 

 avoid injuring the pupa, which is extremely delicate. Both larva and 

 cocoon possess very strong urticating properties, and I know of no 

 species more easily taken in numbers by "assembling." — H. Bickerton 

 Jones ; 180, Lodge Lane, Liverpool. 



Wood Naphtha as a Relaxing Medium. — As the old-fashioned but 

 still useful laurel-jar and damp-sand methods of relaxing insects have, 

 to a certain extent, given way to the relaxing-tin — with its perforated 

 zinc-bottomed trays lined with thick flannel moistened with water 

 containing a little carbolic acid (Entom. xxv. 119) — so possibly may 

 this latter some day be superseded by a new and better arrange- 

 ment. Indeed, something in this direction is already before the public. 

 Dr. Knaggs, in the ' Entomologists' Monthly Magazine,' has introduced 

 a process of softening the wings of Lepidoptera, communicated to him 

 by Mr. Clark of Hackney. All that seems to be necessary is to damp 

 the bases of the wings on the under side with wood naphtha (pyroxylic 

 spirit), when, after the spirit has been allowed time — say three or four 

 minutes — to soak into the joints, the wings should be pliable enough 

 to permit of spreading on the setting-board. If, however, they should 

 still be refractory, a further application of naphtha will complete the 

 business. Resetting must be commenced directly the wings begin to 

 soften ; and if it is required to alter the position of the antennae, these 

 may be treated separately and after the wings are fixed. In his 

 account of the modus operandi, Dr. Knaggs evidently refers to the 

 treatment of a specimen which had been set. Perhaps in the case of 

 unset or "papered'' butterflies it would be permissible to dip the 

 specimens in the naphtha instead of applying the spirit by means of a 

 camel-hair brush ; but even if this could be done, and without injury 

 to the insects, the process hardly seems to offer any substantial 

 advantage over the relaxing-tin in dealing with a number of speci- 

 mens. If, however, we have only a few examples to treat, wood 

 naphtha as a relaxing medium would appear to be handy and useful. 

 — Richard South. 



