294 THE INSECTAKIUM AT THE ZOOLOGICAL GAEDENS. 



public generally, and to entomologists in particular. This is an " Insec- 

 tarium," or house devoted to the exhibition of living specimens, in their 

 various stages, of the class of Insects. Such an exhibition is not absolutely 

 new, it is true, for something of the kind has been tried already in this 

 country at the Westminster Aquarium, as well as on the continent at 

 the Hamburg Zoological Gardens. In neither case, however, was the 

 experiment made on any large scale, and in the first instance, at least, it 

 has not proved, hitherto, a great success. The " Insectarium " stands in 

 what is known as the " North Garden " as the slip of land lying on the 

 northern bank of the Begent's Canal is called not; far from the northern 

 entrance to the gardens. It is of an oblong shape, with a glass roof, and 

 with three of its sides, including the south one, also consisting largely 

 of glass. The remaining or northern side is of cement and brick. The 

 floor is paved with tiles, and beneath it hot-water pipes run round the 

 house, which admit of its being kept up to any necessary temperature. 



The larger insects are exhibited in glass cages, provided with tops of 

 perforated zinc, and with metal floors in which can be inserted, if 

 necessary, a flower-pot with growing plants for the larvae to feed on. 

 These cages, which are rather larger than an ordinary Wardian case, are 

 arranged along two sides of the house, those on the south side being at 

 present chiefly occupied by various exotic silk-producing Bombyces, whilst 

 the smaller ones on the north are devoted to English Lepidoptera of 

 various species. On tables in the middle of the room are bell-glasses 

 with various aquatic insects, as well as other cages containing smaller 

 species, or very young larvae of Lepidoptera, together with a few insects 

 of other groups. 



At the present time, the Lepidoptera are best represented. There is a 

 good collection of the cocoons of the Bombyces exhibited, and many of 

 these have come out, and produced beautiful images. Amongst others, 

 Samia gloveri and S. cecropia, Attacus atlas and Actias luna may be 

 mentioned as having been exhibited alive during the past few weeks. 

 Eggs of most of these have also been obtained, so that no doubt before 

 long, larvae of them will be visible, though at present the only silk-moth 

 larvae shown are those of A. yama-mai. 



Of European Lepidoptera, images of Papilio machaon, Melitcea cinxia, 

 and Nemeobius lucina may be seen, whilst there are larvae in various 

 stages, or pupae, of many others, amongst which those of Melitcea maturna, 

 Apatura ilia and iris, Limenitis populi and sibylla, and Catocala fraxini 

 are, just now, perhaps the most interesting. 



The other Orders are represented chiefly by aquatic forms at present, 

 in the shape of sundry Hydradephaga and Pldlhydrida from amongst the 

 Coleoptera, by larvae of Ayrion, LibelMa, and Ephemera, together with 

 Phryganidce in their cases, Nepa, Notonecta, and a .few others. The 

 Hymenoptera are, as yet, hardly represented, though in time there seems 



