2C 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



Earth to the depth of an inch may be pot in the box and upon that some brushy twigs 

 upon which to lay the leaves for food and chips to which the chrysalids may be attached. 

 In the case of the cabbage worm, have the children collect the worms of various sizes 

 and with them bring a leat or parts of leaves to serve as food. If the supply of food is 

 maintained the larvse will eat voraciously, grow fast, and in a few days prepare to trans- 

 form into pupae or chrysalids. When these are formed, in the example under notice the 

 box may be set away in the wood-shed or other secure cool place until the following spring 

 awaiting the final transformation. Will you await the delightful surprise to discover to 

 the children the connection between the beautiful white butterfly and the green cabbage- 

 worm, (figs. 7, 8 and 9) or will you lead them to discover it when they are collecting and 

 observing the larvae ? Circumstances will determine. You can and should stimulate a 

 search for the youngest and smallest specimens. Some pair of sharp eyes may trace one 

 to the egg, attached alone by its end to the under side of a cabbage leaf. Then institute 

 a search for eggs, these will be brought in numbers and the hatching studied. It is 

 needless to say you should have a magnifying lens ; every teacher should have one. 



In the spring the tent caterpillar is very suitable for study. It is no trouble in the 

 beginning of the season to find a bracelet of varnished eggs encircling a twig of apple tree 

 or wild cherry, (fig. 12) cut off the twig with another attached so as to form a fork that 

 the newly hatched insects may weave a tent upon it. Set two or three of these forks in 

 bottles of water, to stimulate the growth of the buds so that when the eggs are hatched 

 the young tent-makers may have some leaves to feed upon. In time transfer them to the 

 breeding cage with chips resting on the earth, under these chips they will spin their 

 cocoons. These cocoons may be given to the children to watch during the holidays, for 

 before the 1st of September the moths will have emerged. The conditions of growth in 

 the schoolroom may be so unfavorable that healthy cocoons are not formed ; supplement 

 the supply by out-door captures. These two examples are selected out of many that 

 might be taken. Nothing has been said of the important part of the study — observations 

 on the habits, moulting, organs, mouth, antennae, legs, segmentation, etc. These should 

 all receive due attention. 



Fig. 13. In Teachers' Leaflet No. 7 ( A. B. Comstock. ) 



When the moths are bred you may, if you wish, release them, but you may wish to 

 preserve what represents a life history of the insect. Obtain a box 6 or 8 by 10 inches, 

 2 to 4 inches deep with a close wooden or glass cover, a cigar-box does very well for a- 

 beginning. (Fig. 13). Tack linoleum or cork in the bottom and then line the inside 

 with white glazed paper. Two boxes similarly lined, hinged together, covered to resemble 

 a large book and shutting very tightly are much used for insect cases. 



The eggs are easily preserved. The leaf, twig, etc., may be pinned in the box, the 

 figgs may be touched with coal oil to prevent hatching. 



