45 



Rearing Insects in the School-room. 



For the study of the habits and life-history of the mosquito, 

 as described iu one of the first of these nature study lessons, 

 it was found to be necessary to keep the young mosqui- 

 toes alive under conditions approximating the natural condi- 

 tions of mosquito life. Many other insects lend themselves to 

 similar more or less nearly complete observation of their habits and 

 transformations under those favorable conditions for seeing 

 obtained when the insects live and grow and transform in the 

 school-room. A building or room in which insects are reared and 

 kept alive under conditions approximating natural out-of-doors 

 conditions is called an insectary, and may be an extensive and 

 costly affair ; but any school-room can with little trouble and less 

 expense be made to serve as a modest insectary, suflBcient for the 

 needs of the nature study class. 



The necessary equipment comprises a few flower-pots, a few 

 glass lamp chimneys, or better, lantern chimneys, a few small 

 boxes, and a few glass fruit jars. 



The insects to be reared are those whose habits and life-his- 

 tory may happen to be specially described in the course of these 

 nature study lessons, and in addition any others which can be 

 readily obtained, kept successfully in confinement, and whose 

 food can be easily supplied. Many insects can be kept in the 

 school-room for part of their life; and certain particular phases of 

 their life-history observed. Thus the cocoons or chrysalides of 

 moths and butterflies may be collected and brought into the 

 school-room and kept until the issuance of the imago (adult 

 insect). Or caterpillars, whose food plant is known and is readily 

 obtainable, may be reared, and their moultings, their transforma- 

 tions into pupae, and finally the issuing of the moths or butter- 

 flies from the pupae, all may be observed. 



