COLLECTING OVA, LABVJE, AND PUP& 103 



in shaking larvae from trees and large branches. Lastly, take a 

 pencil and a note book or writing paper for your observations in 

 the field. 



Now for the choice of the season. Larvae are to be found all 

 the year round. Early in the spring, as soon as the buds are 

 bursting, some break out of the eggs recently laid by the moths 

 that appear in February and March. Later on, during April and 

 May, a host of both butterflies and moths are busy arranging for 

 their broods. Then, throughout the whole of the summer, thou- 

 sands of caterpillars of all sorts and sizes are to be met with even- 

 where. And finally, during the bleak winter months, you may 

 amuse yourself by digging the hybernators out of their hiding 

 places where they rest themselves till the spring sun again calls them 

 out to refresh them with the young and tender leaves of a new 

 year. Thus, unless you are merely intending to search out certain 

 species you happen to require, there is not much difficulty in 

 settling on the season. 



The day selected should be dry, for your work lies among the 

 herbage of banks, meadows, and woods, and nothing is more un- 

 pleasant than wading through a wet and dense vegetation, or beat- 

 ing down on yourself a shower of large drops from the branches of 

 trees and shrubs. 



Having reached the hunting ground, the first thing to do is to 

 look out for signs of the presence of larvae rather than for the 

 larvae themselves. Healthy vegetation with sound leaves must be 

 passed by as untenanted ; but the presence of partly eaten foliage 

 immediately arouses suspicion. 



A little experience will soon enable you to distinguish between 

 the ravages of larvae and of slugs, snails, wasps, &c. Some of 

 the smaller larvae certainly eat out clean holes like those cut by 

 Hymenopterous insects, but as a rule they bite away at the edges, 

 leaving the midrib and the larger veins standing out almost naked. 



By looking well into the edges of the eaten leaves, it is easy to 

 see whether the marauders have been recently at work. If they 

 are dried up and discoloured, it is not of much use to search ; but if 

 still green and moist, you may feel almost sure that the hungry 

 larvae are not far off. 



In this case you will carefully turn over the leaves to examine 

 the under sides, and also the leaf stalks and branches or stems ; 

 but you must be prepared for all kinds of protective mimicry. 

 Little green caterpillars will be seen lying on the midrib or 



