NATURE STUDY LESSONS. 175 



"Sugaring" is the term applied to the art of catching 

 moths by means of the exposure of some form of liquid 

 sweets in places where those that commonly sip nectar 

 may be attracted to them. It is for beginners one of the 

 most interesting incidents of entomological study, but un- 

 fortunately sugaring can only be practiced in the evening, 

 when the younger of the young people, at least, ought to 

 be in bed. Moreover, the best places for sugaring are 

 along the margins of woods and the borders of thickets, 

 which are not usually near the home. Something can be 

 done, however, in the garden, in the orchard, and beside 

 the highway, at a distance easily covered in fifteen-minute 

 rounds from the veranda where the light is attracting those 

 moths that come foolishly fluttering around it. 



The ideal place for catching moths by lights and by su- 

 garing is a camp beside a stream in the edge of a forest. 

 This, of course, is not practicable for every one, but there 

 is a charm about the scene — the peaceful summer evening, 

 the fluttering of new arrivals about the light, the uncer- 

 tainties and surprises of the sugaring — that no child, or 

 grown person either, should miss, if arrangements can pos- 

 sibly be made for a camping excursion during vacation 

 time. 



The best mixture for sugaring is a material of rum and 

 molasses. This should be smeared with a brush, a swab 

 made by tying a rag round a stick, or a small bough of' 

 hemlock or fir, upon the smooth trunks of gray or dark- 

 colored trees and upon old, unpainted fences. Moths, be- 

 ing commonly of some subdued shade of color, will rarely 

 expose themselves upon the white bark of a birch or upon 

 the light-colored wood of new boards. 



The objects upon which the " sugar " is placed may be 

 selected so as to form a circle or other convenient figure, 

 beginning and ending at the camp, or the veranda. Then, 

 once in about fifteen minutes, a tour must be made to look 



