zooiiOtiir. S91 



caterpillars may be caught, which would with great difficulty 

 be obtained by any other method. 



Caterpillars should be handled as little as possible, the 

 more hairy ones are the least liable to injury from it. It 

 will be necessary to carry a box for their reception, which 

 should be partly filled with leaves, to prevent their being in- 

 jured in carrying, this box should not be new, as the smell 

 of new wood is frequently fatal to them, it will be well to 

 have a part of the lid or sides cut out and covered with fine 

 gauze, as it will then be less likely to injure them. Th9 

 caterpillars once obtained, the next endeavour is to rear 

 them ; for which purpose they are to be supplied with some 

 of the plant they are found feeding upon ; although many, 

 perhaps most, live on a variety of food, the larger part are 

 attached to some particular kind, deprived of which, they 

 frequently pine and perish. 



To save the trouble of supplying them with fresh food 

 daily, some sprigs of the tree or plant may be put into a 

 wide mouthed bottle, filled with water, and the caterpillars 

 placed on them. Most plants will remain in the vials fresh, 

 for three or four days ; the glass with the Caterpillars and 

 their food, is to be placed in the Breeding Box, represented 

 on" the plate 6, fig. 1. and a supply of fresh food is to be 

 given them as soon as the former appears in the least 

 withering. 



After they are arrived at their full growth, they decline 

 eating, and either immediately or very soon change into the 

 Chrysalis state ; previous to which Butterflies spin a small 



9 4 



