14 



FARMERS BULLETIN 600. 



The specimens illustrating the life histories of insects ^vill not be 

 complete unless the larvse are preserved, and it is often in this form 

 that the creature is most injurious to crops. Furthermore, there are 

 some soft-bodied insects, like the spiders, which can not be presei-ved 



chy. These speci- 

 mens must, there- 

 fore, be preserved in 

 fluids. A good fluid 

 for this purpose can 

 be made by mixing 

 10 parts of formalin 

 (40 per cent formal- 

 dehyde), 100 parts 95 

 per cent alcohol, and 

 100 parts distilled or 

 boiled water. 



KEEPING LIVE IN- 

 SECTS- BREEDING 

 CAGES. 



One of the most 

 interesting phases of 

 insect study is the 

 rearing of insects. 

 The simplest way is 

 to collect the co- 

 coons attached to 

 various trees in the 

 autumn, and the fine 

 moths, red, brown, 

 or pea-green, will ap- 

 peal' the folhnving 

 spring. It is more in- 

 structive, however, 

 to collect the larvae 

 or caterpillars and 

 place them in a box 

 where they can be 

 supplied each day 

 with the proper kind 

 of leaves for food. 

 By this means one can watch the caterpillars change their skins while 

 they grow, and also note the change from the caterpillar to the pupa 

 or chrysalis. Any box N\dth a top of netting to prevent the c^iter- 



FiG. 13.— Scries of specimens illustrating life history of a moth. 



