REARING LARV.E. 19 



carefully together with a leaf of the food-plant, and the draw- 

 ings and pupa skins, and perfect insect, be numbered to 

 respond. Descriptions of caterpillars cannot be too carefully 

 made, or too long. The relative size of the head, its ornamen- 

 tation, the stripes and spots of the body, and the position and 

 number of tubercles, 'and the hairs, or fascicles of hairs, or 

 spines and spinules, which arise from them, should be noted, 

 besides the general form of the body. The lines along the 

 body are called dorsal, if in the middle of the back ; subdorsal, 

 if upon one side, lateral, and ventral when on the sides and 

 under surface, or stigmatal if including the stigmata or breath- 

 ing pores, which are generally parti-colored. Indeed, the whole 

 biography of an insect should be ascertained by the observer ; 

 the points to be noted are : 



1. Date when and how the eggs are laid ; and number, size, 

 and marking of the eggs. 



2. Date of hatching, the appearance, food-plant of larva, 

 and number of days between each moulting ; the changes the 

 larva undergoes, which are often remarkable, especially before 

 the last moulting, with drawings illustrative of these ; the hab- 

 its of the larva, whether solitary or gregarious, whether a day 

 or night feeder ; the ichneumon parasites, and their mode of 

 attack. Specimens of larvae in the different moultings should 

 be preserved in alcohol. The appearance of the larvae when 

 full-fed, the date, number of days before pupating, the forma- 

 tion and description of the cocoon, the duration of larvae in the 

 cocoon before pupation, their appearance just before changing, 

 their appearance while changing, and alcoholic specimens of 

 larvae in the act, should all be studied and noted. 



3. Date of pupation ; description of the pupa or chrysalis ; 

 duration of the pupa state, habits, etc. ; together with alcoholic 

 specimens, or pinned dry ones. Lepidopterous pupae should be 

 looked for late in the summer or in the fall and spring, about 

 the roots of trees, and kept moist in mould until the imago 

 appears. Many Coleopterous pupae may also occur in mould, 

 and if aquatic, under submerged sticks and stones, and those 

 of borers under the bark of decaying trees. 



4. Date when the insect escapes from the pupa, and method 

 of escape ; duration of life of the imago ; and the number of 

 broods in a season. 



