120 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI 11 



is mould during the monsoon. A drop of carbolic acid on a tiny section of" 

 sponge pinned in the corner of each drawer so as not to touch the bottom or 

 sides -will keep this off fairly effectually but in addition it is as well to burn a 

 sigari in front of the cabinet on wet days. 



Another nuisance in connection with cabinets inseparable from the climate 

 is that from the constant swelling and shrinking of the wood according to the- 

 humidity of the air the drawers will very soon become very ill-fitting. This can 

 be partly avoided by " oiling " the grooves with ordinary black lead. 



Another way of keeping off mould is by putting on the insect a drop of a 

 mixture made by dissolving bichloride of mercury in spirits of wine. But if this- 

 touches the pin it will eat it away in a very short time and, it is a process which' 

 needs very careful handling. 



Every cabinet drawer or collecting box .must contain naphthaline. Iw 

 cabinets there is generally a groove made to contain it. In collecting 

 boxes it should be tied up in a bag of muslin and firmly pinned in one_ corner; 

 Naphthaline evaporates very quickly and needs constant replenishing. 



Every specimen in the cabinet should have a small label attached giving the 

 date, locality and altitude of the capture. Labels are very ugly and these 

 should be made as small as possible so as looked at from above to be hidden by 

 the wings. 



A word now as to collecting butterflies by breeding. If you do not know the- 

 food-plant of a particular species and cannot find it out from any books, the only 

 thing to do is to watch for a female which is fluttering slowly from bush to 

 bush constantly settling and obviously egglaying and to follow behind, search- 

 till you find the egg deposited and make a note of the species of plant oiu 

 which it was found. This is a most laborious process ouly pardonable in the- 

 interests of original research. When a collector discovers in this way the larvse- 

 and food-plant of a species hitherto unknown he should make careful note of" 

 the facts and send a description of the larva to the Journal of the Society. 



When the food-plant is known the collector can either search for the ready 

 hatched larvae upon it or else catch a femaleand keep her alive for a few days 

 on sugar in the hope that she will lay some eggs. Butterflies are creatures that 

 love the light and to make the latter process a success 'therefore she shouldi 

 not be shut up in the dark, but put in a box with a glass or muslin top to it. 



Almost every one has bred caterpillars for amusement in his or her child" 

 hood and I need give very few hints on the subject. I he main things to be con- 

 sidered in breeding caterpillars are the same as in breeding any other creatures 

 i.e., good food and clean sanitary quarters. Fresh food must be constantly 

 supplied, never wet and not too dry and the box or whatever else they may be 

 kept in should be regularly cleaned out. So far as possible never touch the 

 caterpillars with your hands. Caterpillars do not mind the dark. Many prefer 

 it and will not feed in the day time. 



In the case of tree-feeding species, if you have the right tree in your own. 

 compound, by far the simplest way is to turn the lar-vse loese on a branch. 



