CHAPTER IV. 



THE BREEDING OF INSECTS. 



Fig. 287.— a home-made breeding 

 cage. 



In the study of the life 

 histories of insects many 

 facts can be most easily and 

 surely determined by the 

 study of specimens in con- 

 finement. It is rarely prac- 

 ticable to watch the devel- 

 opment of an individual in- 

 sect in the field, but with 

 the aid of a breeding cage 

 this is easily done. The use 

 of breeding cages also ena- 

 bles the lover of Nature study to keep constantly at 

 hand where they can be seen daily, or even hourly, 

 examples of the life of the fields and ponds. 



In collecting insects for study in confinement it 

 is necessary to note carefully the conditions under 

 which they naturally live, and then to imitate these 

 conditions as closely as possible. If the insects are 

 feeding on a plant, the kind of plant and the part in- 

 fested should be observed, so that the specimens 

 when confined may be given the proper food. If 

 they live in water, determine whether they will re- 



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