OP THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 43 



high: the cap and the door fit closely by means of rabbets, and the 

 former has a depth of about 4 inches to admit of the largest cocoon, 

 being spun in it without touching the box on which it rests. The zinc 

 pan might be made 6 or 8 inches deep, and the lower half filled with 

 sand, so as to keep the whole moist for a greater length of time. 



A dozen such cages will furnish room for the annual breeding of 

 a great number of species, as several having diff"erent habits and ap- 

 pearance, and which there is no danger of confounding, may be simul- 

 taneously fed in the same cage. I number each of the three parts of 

 each cage to prevent misplacement and to facilitate reference, and 

 aside from the notes made in the note-book, it will aid the memory, 

 and expedite matters, to keep a short open record of the species con- 

 tained in each cage, by means of slips of paper pasted on to the glass 

 door. As fast as the different specimens complete their transforma- 

 tions and are taken from the cage, the notes may be altered or erased, 

 or the slips wetted and removed entirely. To prevent possible con- 

 founding of the diff'erent species which enter the ground, it is well, 

 from time to time, to sift the earth, separate the pupae and place them 

 in what I call "imago cages," used for this purpose alone and not for 

 feeding. Here they may be arranged, with references to their exact 

 whereabouts. 



A continued supply of fresh food must be given to those insects 

 which are feeding, and a bit of moist sponge thrust into the mouth of 

 the bottle will prevent drowning, and furnish moisture to such as 

 need it. By means of a broad paste-brush and spoon the frass may 

 be daily removed from the earth, which should, by sprinkling, be kept 

 in a fit and moist condition — neither too wet nor too dry. In the win- 

 ter, when insect life is dormant, the earth may be covered with a layer 

 of clean moss, and the cages put away in the cellar, where they will 

 need only occasional inspection, but where the moss must neverthe- 

 less be kept damp. Cages made after the same plan, but with the 

 sides of wire gauze instead of glass, maybe used for insects which do 

 not well bear confinement indoors, the cages to be placed on a plat- 

 form on the north side of a house, where they will receive only the 

 early morning and late evening sun. 



Such are a few directions, of a most general nature, for those 

 wishing to commence to collect and study insects. Experience will 

 teach a hundred others here unmentioned, and the best closing advice 

 which I can give to the novice is to get acquainted, if possible, with 

 some one who already has that experience. You will find him pleasant 

 and instructive company — whether in the field or the closet. 



Notes. — The collector should never be without his note-book, 

 for more profitless work can scarcely be imagined than the collecting 

 of natural history specimens without some aim — some object. Every 

 observation, carefully made, should be recorded, and the date of cap- 

 ture, locality, food-plant, and such minor notes should be attached ta 



