132 Some Notes on the Breeding of the Acherontia Atropos. 



success in breeding Atropos, and think you have ' done wonders.' 

 My own experience, and that of my friends generally, has been 

 failure. I have tried warmth, cool, and keeping them moderately 

 damp, all to no purpose." 



My own experience is that it wants only attention and common 

 sense. The chrysalis wants a warm and damp atmosphere ; supply 

 it persistently, and you will succeed ; remembering, meanwhile, 

 that you have two great stumbling-blocks to contend against : 1st, 

 the chilling them, and 2nd, allowing the case to get so hard from 

 want of moisture that they cannot break through it. This, now and 

 then, they will want a little help in; but it must be given very 

 judgematically and carefully, otherwise more harm than good will 

 ensue. A little thing will cause failure; but, barring accidents, for 

 which you must always prepare for a certain per-centage, success is 

 assured to the persevering. 



I would add that the chrysalis will stand a very considerable 

 amount of heat, as on one occasion I found the moss was actually 

 steaming, from the fire having suddenly burnt up, but the pupse 

 received no harm from it. 



On my showing some of the perfect insects to my gardener, who 



had seen them through all their various stages as larvse and pupae, 



I said, " Now could you have believed, if you had not seen it, that 



those yellow grubs could ever have become transformed into such 



perfectly different and handsome creatures ? " To which he replied, 



" No, Sir, that I could not, and I can scarcely believe my eyes as 



it is ! " " Well, then," I could not help replying, " be ready to 



believe this, that in the natural world, and still more in the spiritual, 



there are more miraculous changes going on than we men wot of, 



and that nothing is impossible to an Almighty and all-loving 



Creator.*' ^^ ,,,, ^„«_ 



IT JUL 1S85 



H. F. BOLL, Printer and Publisher, 4, Saint John Street, Devizes. 



