62 Dr. G. B. Longstaff’s Notes on the Butterflies 
interested me if possible even more, I mean the multitude, 
the variety, and above all the beauty of the butterflies. 
. The first sight of such a thing as the big Hypolimnas 
bolina, L., black flashing with violet-blue, excited an emotion 
better imagined than described. At all events, the 
creatures took me fairly by storm: collect I must! 
The resources of the bazdr at Simla only produced a 
child’s butterfly-net, a mere toy, scarce twelve inches in 
diameter and of a pale yellow colour! Armed with this 
and a tin cigarette-box filled with triangular envelopes I 
took the field. To this scanty equipment was _ shortly 
added a cyanide bottle. It was two months before the 
toy-net was superseded by an umbrella-net from Watkins 
and Doncaster. This last is a very convenient weapon for 
use in towns, or when travelling or sight-seeing. It is 
inconspicuous when rolled up, but can be quickly brought 
into action ; it is however inadequate for serious work. In 
Calcutta I purchased a large Y-net with jointed canes, 
and had it fitted to the end of a landing-net stick that was 
made in two pieces that were six feet long when joined. 
A fair-sized net is required for large and swift butterflies, 
while for the many that habitually fly high and settle far 
from the ground, six feet is none too long a stick, though 
in narrow woodland paths it will be found unwieldy. 
Another time I should travel with a jointed stick of three 
segments, each three feet long. I may here add that 
mosquito netting is far more serviceable than leno, owing 
to its superior power of resistance to thorns of all sorts. 
Mr. Otto Moller, of Darjiling, told me that he found 
it best to pinch all butterflies, even the smallest, but I 
found that Blues and Skippers were best “ bottled.” No 
doubt it would have been better to pin many moths, but 
my things were all enveloped in the way usual for butter- 
flies, and the dates, localities, and any remarks that sug- 
gested themselves were inscribed upon the papers. [These 
data are still attached to the specimens.] Since getting 
back to England the insects have been serially numbered, 
and the data copied into a note-book. On another 
journey I should number the insects at the time, and 
while putting the more important data on the papers as 
before, copy these, amplified where necessary, into a book. 
This would, I am quite sure, save much time 20k result 
in a more complete record. 
The insects were sent to England from time to time 
