2 



should be carefully described and the head case should always bo preserved at 

 Bach moult. The skin cannot as a rule be preserved, for the younjj caterpillar 

 after having worked it oil" generally devours it at once. There is a prevalent 

 idea that great difficulty attends the obtaining eggs and rearing the larvae ; but 

 this is not at all tlie case ; a few e;.;gs of many species may bo obtaincid from ripe 

 females l)y merely sliutting them in a pill box. In tliis way I have secured eggs of 

 Pieris Xdpi, P. liapK, Tluiclu Xiplii.n, 7'. Cahinns, Li/cceiia Lucin, etc., etc. These 

 eggs hatch after a few days and then ail that is necessary is to put them in any small 

 receptacle which will prevent their fuod I'roni drying up, as a tin box or glass jar, or what is 

 better they ni ly be placed upon a living plant out of doors. iNFany ei^'gs may be obtained 

 and much valuable information may be gathered by hunting for the eggs upon tiie food 

 t)lant, or by watching the females in nature. The action of butterflies when intent upon 

 Bgg-laying, will soon be recognized, and patient observation will frequently reward the 

 student by the discovery of a i unknown food plant. A knowledge of the habits and 

 food of allied species even in other parts of the world will frequently assist greatly. 



The field, too, is so large and the amount of work yet to be done, so great that the 

 taerest tyro may hope to obtain good results in a very short time. 1 purpose in the pre- 

 sent paper to give an account of a collecting trip I had the privilege of making with Mr. 

 S. H. Scudder, of Cambridge, during the past summer. I believe that the experience 

 then gained and a description of the apparatus used will In of assistance to others who 

 have not yet taken up this fascinating study. 



Our trip together was made in the beginning of July, and was from Ottawa to 

 Nepigon and back. Nc^pigon is a small station on the Canadian Pacific Railway, very 

 picturesquely situated at the mouth of the rapid river Nepigon, which brings down the icy 

 Waters from the lake of the same name, about fifty miles due north ; and discharges them 

 into Nepigon Bay, the most northern point of that great triangular inland sea, Lake 

 Superior. Tt is claimed for this river, that it is the only river which discharg"s clear 

 Water into the lake, and that its trout are larger and fishing better than those of any 

 t>ther river in Canada. Be this as it may, it has gained such celebrity that during the 

 lummer there is a constant stream of visitors who come for a week or fortnight to try 

 their luck with Nepigon trout, and the verdict of all seems to be " we must come again." 



The village consists of the railway station, which is also used as a church, an hotel 

 and two stores, as well as several surveyed lots for the site of the future town. About 

 half a mile from the railway, by the side of the riv^r is the neat Hudson Bay post of 

 Red R )ck, now presided over by the genial and courteous Mr. Fianigan, who always 

 remembers anyone he has once met, takes an interest in their pursuits and is ready with 

 *dvice and assistance whenever required. Nepigon is very prettily situated ; as you 

 Approach it by the railway from the east, the first glimpse you get is from the iron bridge 

 which spans the river half a mile from the station. Then a charming picture bursts on 

 the view. Away to the left lies a long range of hills, behind which are the lake and 

 Nepigon Bay with its islands anil indented shores. They are some miles away and the 

 river gradually widening, winds its way down to them amongsv green fields and wooded 

 banks. A glimpse is got of the pretty Hudson Bay post with its neat white building 

 and the rest of the landscape is filled in by the high banks of the river, thickly clothed at 

 the top with trees. After passing beneath the bridge the river swings away to the right, 

 and has cut out from the clay an extensive bay, leaving a steep cliff of clay over 100 feet 

 in height. Looking out on the other side, up the river you see Lake Helen, a beautiful 

 sheet of water, stretching away to the north for eight miles, with a width of one mile, 

 and bounded on its eastern side by a rocky ridge of laurentian gneiss and with elevated 

 Wooded banks to the west or left. " The Ridge," as we called it, to the right is the higher 

 of the two, and was found to be bare rock in many places with little vegetation. Arri- 

 ving at Nepigon station we took our traps to the Taylor House, an excellent hotel, 

 most clean and comfortable, and having made arrangements for meals, wo sallied forth at 

 Dnce with our nets to " look at the locality." 



It may not be amiss to stop here for a few moments and explain what brought us 

 to Nepigon in preference to any other place. 



