CHAPTER IV. 



A FEW WORDS ABOUT MOTHS. 



THE butterflies and moths from their beauty and grace, have 

 always been the favorites among amateur entomologists, and 

 rare and costly works have been published in which their forms 

 and gorgeous colors are represented in the best style of natural 

 history art. We need only mention the folio volume of Madam 

 Merian of the last century, Harris's Aurelian, the works of 

 Cramer, Stoll , Drry, Hiibner, Horsfield, Doubleday and West- 

 wood, and Hewitson, as comprising the most luxurious and 

 costly entomological works. 



Near the close of the last century, John Abbot went from 

 London and spent several years in Georgia, rearing the larger 

 and more showy butterflies and moths, and painting them in the 

 larva, chrysalis and adult, or imago stage. These drawings he 

 sent to London to be sold. Many of them were collected by 

 Sir James Edward Smith, and published under the title of " The 

 Natural Histoiy of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia, 

 collected from the Observations of John Abbot, with the Plants 

 on which they Feed." (London, 1797. 2 vols., fol.) Besides 

 these two rare volumes there are sixteen folio volumes of draw- 

 Ings by Abbot in the Library of the British Museum. This 

 work is of especial interest to the American student as it illus- 

 trates the early stages of many of our butterflies and moths. 



Indeed the study of insects possesses most of its interest 

 when we observe their habits and transformations. Caterpil- 

 lars are always to be found, and with a little practice are easy 

 to raise ; we would therefore advise any one desirous of begin- 

 ning the study of insects to take up the butterflies and moths. 

 They are perhaps easier to study than any other group of 

 insects, and are more ornamental in the cabinet. As a scientific 

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