218 Instructions for collecting Insects. 



The hemipterous order does not afford any poisonous species ; but 

 they are almost all armed with a long beak, and some have it so 

 sharp and hard that they can make very painful punctures. I would 

 advise the pursuer to take them with the rackets, rather than with his 

 lingers. 



They exhale, besides, a disagreeable odor not unlike that of bed- 

 bugs, whence they have received, among the common people, the 

 name of wood bugs, garden bugs and the like. 



The lepidopters, that is to say, the butterflies, whether of the day 

 or night, need not inspire the pursuer with any fear ; but it is so ea- 

 sy to tear or discolor them, that they must not be seized with the fin- 

 gers. If they are flying, they may be taken with the net. If they 

 are at rest and can be easily approached, the rackets are to be pre- 

 ferred, in which they cannot flutter. The butterflies of the night 

 begin to appear an hour and a half after sunset. The honeysuckle, 

 lilac, night willow herb, the great nightshades and soapvvort are the 

 plants in the garden, which they prefer, and around which they may 

 be seen fluttering in great numbers when tbe evenings are fine. In 

 the fields it is on the valerians, the laurel of saint Anthony, viper's 

 bugloss and the like that they are found. This pursuit, taking place 

 only in the twilight, continues little more than half an hour. If they 

 fly longer, it is necessary to be provided with a lantern, which serves 

 not only for discovering the butterflies, but likewise for attracting them. 



The collector will sometimes find the night butterflies adhering to 

 the walls, the trunks of trees and the borders of roofs. These spe- 

 cies are so torpid that they may be approached without disturbing 

 them in the least. The best method of taking them is to fasten 

 them with a pin passing through their corselet, and, in this case, there 

 is no need of pressing them, as they do not often revive and flutter 

 their wings, even when taken from the place where they were resting. 



An excellent method of procuring the butterflies in a state of per- 

 fect preservation, is to raise them from the caterpillars. Whoev- 

 er takes the trouble of doing it, will be amply compensated by the 

 curious, instructive and amusing observations, that he would have 

 occasion to make. He should, for this purpose, take the different 

 species of caterpillars, that he finds in his rambles. They should 

 be collected in a wooden box about the size of that before mention- 

 ed, into which should be put some small branches of the plants, on 

 which the caterpillars are found. On returning home, they should 

 be put into a large box, the sides of which, instead of being of wood, 



