66 BULLETIN OF THE BROOKLYN ENT. SOC. II. 1879. 



the food-plant, be closely corked. Care should be taken not to 

 have too much food in a small jar or box, as it fouls the air and 

 hastens its own decay. 



It is important to have planted near at hand some of the more 

 common food-plants, as e. g. Willow, Wild cherry, Oak, Sweet 

 gum, Maple, with Violets, Asters, Grasses, &c. 



A score of varieties of food-plants will take very little room, 

 and if cut back will furnish a large amount of food; and with 

 these the great majority of the Lepidoptera can be raised, as a 

 larg'e number have more than one food-plant. 



After once beginning with giving larvae a certain food-plant, 

 it is very dangerous to change it for another, though this may be 

 very closely allied, in nature. 



All captured caterpillars should be provided with the same food 

 on which they were found. If however this be impossible, they 

 may be given the choice of two or three nearly related food-plants, 

 and fed thereafter on the one they choose, if any special choice is 

 made. 



Care must be taken to give larvae the minor conditions which 

 their individual tendencies demand. 



Larvae which hybernate are generally very apt to die when 

 hybernated artificially. But is very probable that the mortality 

 among these is very great as well as in nature. 



If kept too dry, they die from lack of moisture. If kept moist, 

 they are apt to die from fungus. 



The effort should be to keep them at a temperature as steady as 

 possible, and below the freezing point. 



They should be kept moist, but not wet. The air ordinarily 

 contains, sufficient moisture for the purpose. And they should be 

 kept under circumstances so the air about them is very slowly but 

 continuously changed. Of course their surroundings must at all 

 times be cleanly. 



The breeding cages of the Diurnals and Spinners should be 

 provided with convenient rests to which they may fix their 

 Chrysales and cocoons. And in many cases for this purpose, a 

 moist clean litter must cover the bottom of the box. 



Many larvae require earth during all their larval condition ; 

 and very • many more require it for pupation. The noctuae 

 especially burrow in the earth during the day, and the catocalidae 



