COLLECTING ON THE GIRIWA RIVER 175 



easy, for I was able to show the natives what I wanted 

 and get them to collect the particular larvae. 



Butterfly breeding, by the way, is quite necessary 

 for the collector who wishes to obtain really good 

 specimens for museums. Having discovered a new 

 butterfly, his next step is to search the district for its 

 larvae and pupae. Experience guides you as to the 

 likely places to search. Each different species of 

 butterfly has usually a distinguishable difference in its 

 larvae and pupae. Whilst I was at this camp I found 

 the natives fairly diligent at collecting larvae and 

 pupae, as well as butterflies for me. Of the common 

 Troides I got considerably over a hundred pupae 

 from the natives. For the good pupae I paid looking- 

 glasses, knives, shirts, etc., but good ones were hard 

 to get. The larvae were much easier to obtain, but 

 very delicate to rear, and only a small percentage could 

 be brought to the butterfly stage. The advantage 

 of breeding as compared with catching the butterflies 

 is, first, that you secure perfect specimens, and second, 

 that you have a chance of securing now and again a 

 " sport." 



At this place I also bred two specimens of the 

 Papilio laglaizei, which mimicks the moth Alcidis and 

 of which I had obtained one before at Lower Biagi 

 and another from the Lower Aroa, besides several at 

 Milne Bay. 



The birds here were disappointing. The best thing 

 captured was a large black-and-white-breasted and 



