APnORISMATA ENTOMOI.OGICA. i 



m:)re of them^ is, or are also to be ma'ie of tin; and if lacquered or 

 japanned, their appearance will be rather more neat. They are to be 

 made of small size, say four inches long by three wide, and about three- 

 quarters of an inch in depth. Fill them with small pill boxes, each 

 with the lid perforated with a number of pin holes to admit the air, 

 and the fumes of sulphur when applied, as about to be explained. 



Instead of putting any minute moths you may catch into the pocket 

 box, put one into each pill box, enclosing them by holding the box, 

 with the lid off, against the part of the net where you have confined 

 them for the purpose, and then, ^^stcaling a march" upon them, putting 

 the lid on again: all this a little practice will explain. Thus you have 

 not touched them at all; and on your arrival at home, or wherever 

 you want to set them, pile the pill boxes under a tumbler near the 

 edge of a table, only do not let it be yom- best one; light two or 

 three brimstone matches; draw part of the glass over the edge of the 

 table; hold the matches underneath, so that the fumes of the brimstone 

 can ascend into the glass, taking care not to touch the glass with the 

 lio-ht, or it will be cracked; and as soon as you see, or rather when 

 you can see nothing in the glass for the smoke, replace it entirely on 

 the table, to confine the vapour, and in a few seconds all the moths 

 will be apparently dead, and by leaving them there for a little while they 

 will become entirely so. Then is the time to set them, and to sot them 

 well, uninjured in the smallest degree by the touch of your hand. 



Those pill boxes will often be found very useful for bringing home 

 the smaller caterp'llars in; and for the larger ones, any small boxes 

 will do I have found the round-turned lucifer-match boxes to answer 

 admirably for this or any other kindred piu"pose. But it is getting on 

 towards midnight, and I must for the present conclude. 



A TI;Ar TO CATCH A MOONBEAM. 



Another mode of capturing moths — 'unde a quo abi redeo' — is by 

 means of a light— to which, in the dusk of the evening, they are 

 attracted. I proceed to give two or three different methods of procedure. 

 One plan, of primitive simplicity, and which was adopted by us at 

 school, was to place a candle near an open window; tie a long string 

 to the handle of the frame — they were old-fashioned lattice ones — get 

 comfortably into bed, and when a moth made his ^entree,' pull the 

 window instantly to, thus securing him within. 



