182 THK ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The slot, C, Fig. 1, through which the spring D should pass 

 loosely, is made in the way shown at C, Fig. 3, i. e., two hits of 

 thick card about an eighth of an inch wide, b h, are glued on to a 

 larger piece of card, a, about half an inch wide, and when dry 

 the surfaces b b are brushed over with glue, and stuck on the 

 card B, Fig. 1 (= the underside of A, Fig. 3), at the point 

 indicated, that is, if the spring be perforated ; but if the spring 

 is entire, as mentioned in the alternative and easier plan, then 

 the slot should be so placed that its upper edge is about level 

 with the spot marked as perforated in Fig. 1, in which case it 

 will merely be necessary to slip loops of silk, thread, or fishing 

 hair over the free end of the spring D beyond C. When both 

 sides of the decoy have been thus treated, bring the ends of the 

 threads down through the loop H, taking care that both are 

 exactly of the same length, and connect them with a length (10 or 

 20 yards) of the finest " water cord," such as used for running 

 fishing tackle, the pulling at which will produce a close imitation 

 of the movements of the living insect. Now comes the delicate 

 operation of separating the wings from the thorax of a specimen 

 of the species required, and glueing the thorax with head and 

 abdomen attached into the groove, I), Fig. 3, and the wings on to 

 A A, Fig. 3, in as nearly the normal position as possible. 



It is a question in my mind whether the male or the female 

 should be used to decoy ; my inclination is towards the brightest 

 coloured insect, the male, and it is just possible that the flashing 

 in the sun of a decoy, made of steel blue tinsel cut to the shape, 

 might prove effective in the case of Apatura. In the event, 

 however, of a living, or recently killed, insect being employed 

 (non-mechanical), the female might probably prove the more 

 enticing, for I cannot even yet quite give up the idea that there 

 are two kinds of attraction, one by scent, the other by sight. 



Supposing that anyone should wish to keep a set of decoys, 

 the following would suffice. One prepared dresser-hook and peg, 

 two or three different sized bent springs, and as many species of 

 butterflies ready mounted as decoys as might be considered 

 necessary, and these might be kept in a suitable receptacle. If 

 this reminds one somewhat of those curious collections of 

 impossible flies so inseparable from the noble art of fly fishing, 

 our next consideration is forcibly suggestive of the machinations 

 of the Whitechapel bird-catcher, and consists in a spring net 

 which may be worked from the same distance as the decoy. 



(To be continued.) 



