1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 65 



striking the ground. Quickness, however, is needed in the latter case, as quite frequently 

 the specimen ascends again with as much rapidity as it descended. Sphingidae are 

 particularly quick in this respect, and the collector has to be on the alert, and capture 

 the specimen as soon as it descends, On the other hand, numbers of other moths are 

 quite within reach and easy to catch, as they fly anywhere within the rays of the electric 

 lights, not always flying close to the globe. Geometers are especially noticeable in this 

 regard, and can be taken without much trouble. The large emperor moths have a habit 

 of flapping near the ground, and are then generally easily caught. 



The brilliant illumination from the arc lights seems to have a dazzling effect on 

 many species, as after fluttering around for a time they often seek the dark, or shady, 

 side of the telegraph pole, where they are often found resting. This I have noticed 

 among many of the sphingidae, and more often among the arctiidae, the tiger moths being 

 especially conspicuous in this respect. Many of the noctuids also are apparently dazzled, 

 and hide from the light. 



I have found that where another pole is within a few feet of the pole from which the 

 electric light is suspended, numbers of " good things " seek a resting place thereon, and 

 these are generally within easy capture. Those out of reach I have often dislodged by 

 throwing up a piece of sod, or else a handful of caked mud. Some collectors use long 

 rods with a net on the end for this purpose, but for my part I have found this a needless 

 trouble, and the appliance is not always easy to handle, and it is difficult and often im- 

 possible to place the net just where it is wanted. In Ottawa the electric light poles have 

 iron attachments, which are used by the electric linemen to climb the poles when the 

 carbons require replacing in the globes, or the lamps repairing. It is therefore not much 

 trouble for us to secure specimens which are resting on the poles. In Toronto, where I 

 collected for a number of years, the globes have all to be lowered by the linemen for 

 repairs, etc., and the poles do not have these iron attachments, consequently we had to 

 devise other means whereby to secure the specimens. We first of all tried these long 

 rods with the net on the end, and of course, with this aid secured many moths, but on 

 the other hand many were still out of reach, so we afterwards discarded thj long rods 

 and generally secured any specimens we desired by simply throwing a piece of old sod, or 

 caked mud at the moths, dislodging them from their place of rest, when they generally 

 fell to the ground and were quickly bottled. At the entrance to the Experimpntal Farm 

 at Ottawa is one of the best electric lights that I haye ever collected at ; within a few 

 feet of this stands a telegraph pole, and during the past summer we took quite a 

 large number of beautiful and rare moths while they were resting upon this pole, a much 

 larger number of specimens being taken off this pole than off the one from which the light 

 is suspended. 



The best hours I have experienced for collecting at electric light are from 9 o'clock 

 to about half past 10 o'clock, and after 12 o'clock to about 2 o'clock. I have never stayed 

 later than this but I have been told by collectors who have stopped around the lights all 

 night, that they took very few specimens after the latter hour. The earlier part of the 

 evening until half past 10 o'clock or so seems to be the most productive. 



If the collector is interested in breeding moths from the egg to the imago, the 

 electric light furnishes a great help toward this end, as when a female is captured if it is 

 desirable to obtain eggs, all that is necessary to do is to enclose her in a box, when she 

 will, as a rule, deposit at least a portion of her eggs, provided she has not laid them be- 

 fore capture. I have often secured specimens in this way and had the pleasure of breed- 

 ing the specimens to maturity. As an example I might cite that during the past sum- 

 mer I took a female of Euprepia caja, while collecting at the electric light, putting her in 

 a box alive where she remained the whole nighfe. By the next morning she had laid nine 

 eggs, five of which hatched. I have succeeded in getting two of these larvse past the 

 sixth moult, and both, on the 9th inst. started to spin a slight cocoon. This occurrence 

 is very remarkable as the larvae of Euprepia caja are known to hibernate through the 

 winter, but the reason mine have passed through all their stages and spun a cocoon, 

 is probably no doubt due to the fact that they were kept very clean in doors and given 



5 EN. 



