I 

 BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 223 



at home, and by " sugaring " fences and trees after dark, thus providing 

 bait to which many moths come eagerly. The larvae can be obtained by 

 shaking bushes and herbage. If a cloth or an umbrella is spread below, 

 they will fall upon it, and may be easily captured. 



Once again, the full-grown females may be taken home alive, and kept 

 till they have laid their eggs. Care must be taken to observe the food plant 

 upon which the larvae are found, that fresh supplies of it may be provided. 



Details of the way of making rearing cages may be found, if required, in 

 The Young People's Nature Study Book. 



Note also that in rearing larvae the stale leaves should be removed from 

 the cage when fresh food is put in, but on no account should the larvae be 

 forced to loose their hold on the old leaves. Take the stale food plant out first, 

 and then if the new food is put in place and the old leaves put back, it will 

 not be long before the larvae find their way to it. 



The cages should not be overcrowded with larvae, otherwise they will 

 not develop healthily, and may take to such depraved habits as eating each 

 other. Some moss or fibre, or a little mould, or an inch or two of turf, should 

 be put at the bottom of the cage for those larvae which bury themselves when 

 pupating. 



Often, at the end of the summer and during the autumn, the larvae of some 

 of the larger moths may be found crawling across roads and paths, hunting 

 for a suitable place to burrow for their pupal change. These should be taken 

 home, and allowed to bury themselves in mould or moss in a suitable box. 



Many pupae of moths may be found if the proper places are well searched. 

 " Such trees as poplar, willow, ash, elm, are certain to be the hiding-places of 

 some. Trees which stand alone, or on the outskirts of woods or the banks of 

 streams, yield richer finds than others. In the crevices of the bark, behind 

 loose or decayed pieces, in clumps of moss, the debris of dead leaves, among 

 the roots, three or four inches below the surface in dry, soft soil all these 

 are places where finds may be expected; and experienced entomologists tell 

 us that, generally speaking, the majority of discoveries will be made on the 

 north side of trees, because that is the side sheltered most from rain and sun- 

 shine, both of which are unhealthy for pupae " (Moths of the Months}. The net, 

 poison bottle, and collecting box described above will serve again for moth- 

 catching ; but in addition some small boxes (pill boxes, or chip boxes), pref- 

 erably those sold for the purpose with glass tops, must be taken. These are 

 used for capturing moths found sleeping on trees or fences, placing the box 

 close to the insect and sliding the lid over it. As moths are generally torpid 

 during the day, they may often be taken home in the pill boxes without being 

 killed first. Those that are wild and vigorous must be put into the poison 

 bottle at once. 



At night a great deal may be done by means of " sugaring." The moth 

 hunter takes with him a bottle of sugaring mixture, and this is spread with a 

 brush on trees or palings just after sunset. A dark, sultry night from June 



