gathers on the side of the jar. Moreover, if the leaves are too wet and the venti- 

 lation of the cage is poor, bad results will follow. I take it that each author 

 has in mind his own special forms of breeding cages and when he lays down 

 rules they apply to these cages. I am speaking of glass jars, and the green pulp 

 of the fresh leaves and the moisture of the early morning dew generally afford suffi- 

 cient moisture for larvae. Hot, dry air, parched and shriveled food, may necessi- 

 tate sprinkling or spraying, and I nearly always give water to larvae except when 

 confined in jars. 



LIGHT, AIR AND CLEANLINESS. 



« A degree of cleanliness is absolutely indispensable at all times and under 

 all circumstances. Filth and mold are fatal, stiJI it is just as fatal to larvae to 

 disturb them when they are molting, or to handle them or to worry and distress 

 them in an effort to keep them over-clean. Light is generally regarded as neces- 

 sary, but the direct rays of the sun will destroy most species of larvae. Certain 

 kinds demand ventilation, but not nearly to the extent which most writers claim. 

 Larvae do not have lungs and the majority of varieties thrive with little air. 

 Once a day remove the screw top from your fruit jars, with a pair of forceps take 

 out the old food, clean the jars if it appears necessary, and put in your fresh food. 

 During this process sufficient fresh air will enter the jar to last for another day. 

 Frequently it is easier to transfer the caterpillars to a clean jar in order to cleanse 

 the old one. 



OVER-CROWDING. 



The most serious mistake of the beginner is apt to be trying to rear too 

 many larvae in one receptacle. If you are using large trays there is no danger 

 whatever in this respect. If the tray is large enough you can put in an armful of 

 fresh feed each day and the old food can be thrown away when the larvae have 

 deserted it. In large breeding cages the same conditions prevail to some extent, 

 but I have frequently lost an entire family of larvae in quite a large cage, even 

 though I kept it scrupulously clean and took every known precaution except one, 

 and that was over-crowding. While larvae are molting they will often receive 

 fatal injuries by having their companions crawl over them and disturb them. 

 Besides, diseases break out which frequently sweep away the entire brood. You 

 will make no mistake if you keep dividing and sub-dividing the members of a 

 large family. I sometimes wonder if those who are sticklers for ventilation are 

 careful enough regarding this point. A two-quart jar holds an abundance of air 

 for two or three or perhaps half a dozen large larvae, when a hundred or even a 

 score would be exterminated perhaps from lack of air, or perhaps from some other 

 cause. A large Sphinx larva will live admirably in a fruit jar. but it would be 

 folly to try to raise a large number of them in one jar. Of course, you have more 

 work in supplying the occupants of many jars with food than you would if all 

 were m one receptacle, and I suppose that is the true reason for over-crowding 

 larvae. 



COLLECT LARVAE. 



Never fail to collect larvae which you discover on your rambles. Cany 

 them home in boxes, bottles, or even in paper bags. In this way you may rear 

 varieties which you would never discover. There are many moths which do 

 not come to light or sugar and can only be taken in the larval stage. My sister 

 June, when not quite five years old, found a queer caterpillar on Penstemon, and 

 the butterfly which emerged was named Melitaea mcglashani. Hemileuca burnsi 



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