LEPIDOPTERA. 27 



with all their contents inside. (Westwood, Proceedings of the 

 Entomological Society of London, Sept. 7, 1863.) 



Dr. Knaggs has, in the "Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," 

 given some directions for managing caterpillars. Very young 

 caterpillars, which will not eat the food pi'ovided, and become 

 restless, should be reared in air-tight jam-pots, the tops of which 

 are covered with green glass to darken the interior of the ves- 

 sel. When small larvae hide themselves by mining, entering 

 buds and spinning together leaves, they should have as small a 

 quantity of food as possible. In changing larvae from one 

 plant to a fresh one, a slight jar or puff of breath will dislodge 

 them, and they can be transferred to the jam-pot ; or the glass 

 cylinder, covered at one end with muslin, can be turned mus- 

 lin end downwards for them to crawl upon. The duplicate 

 breeding cage, pot or tube, should be " sweetened " by a free 

 current of fresh dry air and then stocked with fresh food. 



Dr. Knaggs advises that " hiding places," or bits of chips, 

 etc., be provided for such Noctuid larvae as naturally lie con- 

 cealed, such as Orthosia, Xanthia, Noctua, etc., "while for 

 Agrotis and a few others a considerable depth of fine earth or 

 sand is necessary." 



"Larvae, which in nature hibernate, must either be stimulated 

 by warmth and fresh food to feed up unnaturally fast, or else 

 through the winter must be exposed to out-door temperature." 

 For such larvae as begin to eat before the trees are leaved out, 

 the leaves of evergreens must be provided, pine leaves, chick- 

 weed, grasses and mosses. Hibernating, living larvae must 

 during the winter be kept dry, otherwise the damp seems to 

 hang about their fur, and causes them to be attacked by a white 

 fungus : while smooth larvae require the natural dampness of 

 the soil. Mr. Greene describes what he calls his "larvarium, 

 viz. : a very large box, say three feet square and about the same 

 in depth filled partly with mould covered with moss." The 

 edges of the top of this box must be smoothly shaved to suit 

 the lid, which is like the frame of a slate, the slate being 

 knocked out. This is then covered with gauze. In a box of 

 this size small branches may be held in bottles of water, and 

 two or three dozen larvqe safely housed. If placed in a cool 

 room, with plenty of air, they will grow almost as large as if 

 in freedom. Mr. Gibson strongly recommends that during the 



