﻿338 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  his 
  penmanship 
  and 
  perhaps 
  end 
  their 
  life 
  in 
  a 
  bath 
  of 
  ink, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  

   doing 
  at 
  this 
  present 
  while 
  writing 
  of 
  their 
  obtrusiveness. 
  

  

  The 
  invalid, 
  who 
  may 
  be 
  held 
  a 
  captive 
  within 
  his 
  home 
  through 
  

   physical 
  weakness]or 
  other 
  infirmity, 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  when 
  the 
  insect 
  

   world 
  holds 
  its 
  hey-day 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  and 
  forest, 
  may 
  still 
  make 
  ample 
  

   collections 
  for 
  study 
  and 
  enrichment 
  of 
  his 
  cabinet 
  even 
  within 
  the 
  con- 
  

   fines 
  of 
  his 
  chamber. 
  Should 
  the 
  year 
  be 
  favorable 
  for 
  insect 
  life 
  

   (the 
  years 
  vary 
  greatly 
  in 
  this 
  respect), 
  at 
  least 
  five 
  hundred 
  species 
  

   could 
  be 
  taken 
  by 
  him. 
  Does 
  this 
  surprise 
  you, 
  as 
  an 
  indoor 
  collection 
  

   for 
  a 
  single 
  year 
  ? 
  I 
  beheve 
  it 
  a 
  moderate 
  estimate. 
  To 
  many 
  of 
  you, 
  

   perhaps, 
  all 
  the 
  flies 
  of 
  our 
  window 
  seem 
  alike; 
  or 
  the 
  smaller 
  forms 
  are 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  house-fly. 
  Yet 
  I 
  would 
  engage 
  

   that 
  from 
  the 
  windows 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  room 
  of 
  one's 
  house, 
  during 
  the 
  

   months 
  of 
  March 
  to 
  November 
  inclusive, 
  there 
  could 
  be 
  taken 
  one 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  species 
  of 
  Diptera 
  alone. 
  

  

  Insect 
  collections 
  are 
  easfly 
  made, 
  and 
  with 
  simple 
  and 
  inexpensive 
  

   material. 
  For 
  our 
  ordinary 
  walks 
  in 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  business 
  or 
  

   study, 
  the 
  ''cyanide 
  bottle," 
  that 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  invention, 
  yet 
  

   now 
  regarded 
  as 
  indispensable 
  to 
  the 
  collector 
  — 
  is 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  needed 
  for 
  

   securing 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  insects. 
  To 
  the 
  cyanide 
  bottle, 
  of 
  a 
  size 
  convenient 
  

   to 
  be 
  carried 
  in 
  a 
  pocket,, 
  should 
  be 
  added 
  a 
  small 
  tin 
  box 
  for 
  inclosing 
  

   caterpillars 
  or 
  other 
  larvae, 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  if 
  desired 
  to 
  rear 
  themx. 
  

   For 
  field 
  excursions, 
  we 
  would 
  multiply 
  our 
  bottles 
  and 
  boxes, 
  and 
  add 
  

   a 
  suitable 
  net, 
  a 
  pin-cushion 
  with 
  insect 
  pins 
  of 
  two 
  sizes, 
  and 
  a 
  box 
  

   hanging 
  from 
  a 
  button 
  or 
  belt 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  pin 
  the 
  collections. 
  

  

  III. 
  The 
  Interest 
  Attaching 
  to 
  the 
  Study. 
  

  

  I 
  dare 
  not 
  urge 
  this 
  topic 
  as 
  I 
  feel 
  to 
  do, 
  for 
  fear 
  that 
  you 
  would 
  re- 
  

   ceive 
  what 
  I 
  might 
  say 
  as 
  the 
  extravagance 
  of 
  enthusiasm. 
  If 
  not 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  to 
  accept 
  the 
  assertion, 
  that 
  in 
  no 
  department 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  

   can 
  you 
  find 
  so 
  much 
  to 
  interest 
  you, 
  and 
  to 
  interest 
  you 
  so 
  deeply, 
  as 
  

   in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  insects, 
  their 
  transformations 
  and 
  their 
  habits, 
  then, 
  if 
  

   willing 
  to 
  test 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  the 
  assertion, 
  will 
  you 
  please 
  accept 
  for 
  guid- 
  

   ance 
  the 
  following 
  program 
  : 
  

  

  Get 
  the 
  cocoons 
  of 
  some 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  larger 
  silk-spinning 
  moths, 
  of 
  the 
  

   family 
  o{ 
  Bombycidoe^ 
  — 
  let 
  them 
  be, 
  if 
  you 
  please, 
  of 
  Atiacus 
  Fromeihea, 
  

   which 
  you 
  may 
  find 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  upon 
  your 
  lilac 
  bushes, 
  infolded 
  

   in 
  dried-up 
  leaves 
  of 
  last 
  year's 
  growth. 
  Before 
  you 
  cut 
  the 
  cocoons 
  

   from 
  the 
  twigs 
  (you 
  can 
  hardly 
  tear 
  them 
  off 
  by 
  hand) 
  first 
  observe 
  the 
  

   silk 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  cocoon, 
  enveloping 
  the 
  leaf-stalk 
  and 
  then 
  encir- 
  

  

  