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require sun and air have been obtained by modifications of tiie 

 canvas cage. One species that most Lepidopterists have 

 found extremely difficult to breed is Agrotis agatJiina ; the 

 only time I tried to breed this insect, I adopted the following 

 plan with success (out of thirty-two larvae I bred twenty-eight 

 perfect specimens). An earthen propagating pan was planted 

 beforehand, by way of preparation, with a nice lot of heather 

 {Calluna vulgaris) all round the outer edge of the pan, leaving 

 some four or five inches in the centre clear of plants for re- 

 newing food, and this was obtained by a trip to Shirley once a 

 week. I used to select a few healthy plants of young and well 

 leaved Erica tetralix (the pale maiden heath), and these were 

 dug up and plunged into a small earthen pan to occupy the 

 space left free in the larger pan. By this means I was 

 enabled to change the food with very little disturbance of the 

 larvae. The whole was covered with canvas on a wire frame. 

 It was a little trouble, but then the result was a success. 



I may mention that possibly one reason of my success was, 

 that I searched for my larvae. The general way is to sweep, 

 and in my opinion many of the larvae get more or less injured 

 by the knocking about in the net. You may get more by 

 sweeping, but probably the best and most reliable plan is to 

 search with a light for them. 



Feeding on growing plants. — At first sight it would appear 

 that the very best plan for feeding larva, would be by planting 

 food in flower pots, but I must say the result to me has been 

 rather disappointing. Very few plants do well, i.e., grow 

 healthily in the necessary confinement — they so often fog off 

 and become mildewed. It answers well enough on growing 

 trees, where you can " sleeve " them on the branches, but 

 not so well on soft herbaceous plants. To those Lepidop- 

 terists who live in the country, and have good gardens away 

 from the nuisance of London smoke, this plan of sleeving 

 will be found most useful. All that is necessary is to plant 

 a selection of oak, alder, ash, birch, willow, etc., and by sleeves 

 of canvas or gauze good results may be attained with little 

 labour. I well recollect a visit I paid to my friend the late 

 J. G. Ross, of Bathampton, to whom so many of us owe 

 our present fine series of A. alni. In his garden of two or 

 three acres, he had quite a plantation of young alders, and 



