SUGGESTIONS FOR DECOYING BUTTERFLIES. 207 



reproduce these two species in one season, the entire egg product 

 from a very large number of females might be requisite. It is 

 easily seen then, that each of these broods from eggs of one 

 female constitutes a mere fragment of a species. As the several 

 broods, though bred in practically identical conditions of environ- 

 ment, differ abruptly and decisively in their sex averages, it 

 seems evident that this emphatic diversity is a result of ante- 

 cedent causes. In the main, the amount and kind of character 

 the brood possesses was conditioned in advance by the limitations 

 of the antecedent female. I do not mean that in every brood the 

 progeny (if females) will closely resemble the female which lays 

 the eggs ; but in my experience such similarity occurs in a very 

 large proportion of cases, sometimes combined with a minor 

 quantity of character strikingly dissimilar. If the sex pro- 

 portions in these broods agreed with the early or late laying of 

 the eggs, a seasonal law would seem to be indicated. Since, 

 however, the sex ratios appear to be out of relation to the 

 seasonal stage, my conclusion must be limited to the statement 

 that apparently some of the females laid a greater number of male 

 eggs, while others produced female eggs in larger proportion, with 

 the inference that m the present experiment sex must be referred 

 back to the egg. 



Laggan, -^Alberta Province, Canada. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR DECOYING BUTTERFLIES. 



By H. G. Knaggs, M.D„ F.L,S. 



(Concluded from p. 182). 



In the trap which we are about to discuss, rapidity of action 

 is of paramount importance ; lightness combined with strength, 

 and a spring of sufficient power to act almost instantaneously, 

 are the great desiderata : the materials here suggested are con- 

 sidered adequate, but of course by increasing the calibre of the 

 spring still swifter action may be obtained, or a larger net may 

 be used. 



This brings us to Fig. 4. A, B B, its opposite fellow (not 

 shown), and C, are four bamboos, such as used for gardening pur- 

 poses, each two feet long ; this size is preferred because, although 

 a larger four foot square net would cover more space, the spring 

 required to work it must be very powerful, and on the whole I 

 find the smaller one acts with much greater rapidity. All these 

 four sticks agree in having a moveable ring J) whipped on at 

 about an inch and a half from each end, but B and its double 

 have also another ring E, fixed and rigid, as used for fishing 

 rods, opposite to the corresponding ring D, as shown in the 



T 2 



