1893.] 161 



Touching the variations on this cage referred to in the commencement of this 

 paper : the first is that, in making small cages, such as from two to three inches 

 square (a very useful size), the corners of lucifer boxes, cut off about a quarter of an 

 inch each side of the angles, will be found strong enough to hold them firmly 

 together ; if neatness be required, they may be brushed over inside with Berlin 

 black and outside with mahogany stain varnish before glueing in the glasses — this 

 applies to the angled wood of the larger cages. Then again, for travelling or trans- 

 mission, we can, by graduating the sizes of our cages half an inch, from six inches 

 down CO two, easily get a dozen packed into an eight inch (outside measure) cubic 

 box, namely, six of the larger kind, each seven inches high, and six of the smaller, 

 three and three-eighths of an inch high (leaving a quarter inch for felt packing), that 

 is if the perforated stages be not too thick, which brings us to — 



Variation in the stages. The material of which these are composed may be 

 modified to suit different requirements. In respect to occupation of space for trans- 

 mission, slates of thinner and superior quality, such as are used for school purposes, 

 or glass may be perforated, or vulcanite or poroplastic felt might be employed ; but 

 all are more costly than rooffing slates. For ventilating purposes a piece of No. 8 

 galvanized wire may be bent into the shape of a square and the ends soldered 

 together ; over this may be strained muslin, through the centre of which a sail 

 eyelet and washers have been firmly fixed. This form of stage affords free ventilation 

 from bottom to top of the cage. If this be considered insecure (and it certainly 

 looks more dangerous than it really is), four legs may be added to the wire frame to 

 steady it. 



Another way of securing a free supply of air to the cage is by making perfora- 

 tions in the slate in the space which intervenes between the outer circumference of 

 the water vessel and the inner margin of the glass cage, and covering these apertures 

 with muslin ; these openings may be of any size, number or shape, even to cutting 

 away all but so much as is enough to hold together the circular portion on which 

 the jam pot rests, to the square part which supports the cage. 



If we wish to employ tlie cage for full-fed larvBe which go to earth, the muslin 

 has to be removed, and means devised to keep the frass from falling on to the soil 

 beneath, and so forming centres of mouldiness, for which reason it is never desirable 

 to use this form of cage until the larvse are approaching the stage at which they are 

 ready to pupate. Then as large a flower pot as will be covered by the slate (which, 

 by the way, may be circular) should be used, and its interior fitted with two smaller 

 pots fixed base to base in such a way that the lower one covers the hole in the larger 

 pot, while the upper forms the receptacle for the moveable water vessel, and is on 

 an exact level with the larger pot, so that both are accurately adapted to the under- 

 side of the slate stage. The space between the smaller and lai'ger pots may then be 

 filled with suitable soil, and the perforated stage placed over it. This pot is also 

 most useful for such larvse as like to hide themselves when not feeding, in which 

 case sand, sods, rubbish, stones, short bits of bamboo, dead leaves, moss, &c., may 

 be substituted for the soil. With certain alterations it might be made to accommo- 

 date hibernating larvse. 



Another way of ventilating the cage is by substituting an inch strip of glass, 

 top and bottom, for the fourth glass side, and covering the intervening space with 

 muslin. By similarly making two opposite sides of net, fixing perhaps a central 



