GENE STRATTON PORTER. 



Will entomology become popularized 

 in America? Yes, but not through the 

 works of scientists. Most folks shun 

 science as something entirely too deep 

 and uninteresting for ordinary under- 

 standing. Books written for nature lov- 

 ers, especially if they be exquisite stories, 

 are in great demand, and through such 

 works the public may learn how easy, 

 how inexpressibly fascinating, is the 

 study of moths and butterflies. None 

 of the great entomologists have suc- 

 ceeded in reaching the hearts of the 

 masses as has Gene Stratton Porter's 

 "Freckles" and "A Girl of the Limber- 

 lost." Hundreds and hundreds of cor- 

 respondents tell me that their first inter- 

 est in moths was awakened by these 

 charming novels. That a girl could ob- 

 tain money to help her secure an educa- 

 tion by gathering cocoons and sugaring 

 for moths was a revelation. Every reader is eager for further information. "The 

 Moths of the Limberlost" is an artistic masterpiece. All her writings, "The Har- 

 vester," "The Music of the Wild," "The Song of the Cardinal," "What I Have 

 Done with Birds," "At the Foot of the Rainbow," "Birds of the Bible," and 

 lastly "Laddie," give one a liberal education in nature study, and are so ably writ- 

 ten that it is no wonder they are read by thousands of readers. She appeals to the 

 soul rather than the brain. Mrs. Porter ranks first among those who are popu- 

 larizing scientific research. It is a pleasure to present her portrait and pay her 

 this heartfelt and unsought tribute. Just as Harriet Beecher Stowe doomed slavery 

 by her "Uncle Tom's Cabin," so Gene Stratton Porter is dooming ignorance re- 

 garding the charms of entomology and nature study with her delightful publi- 

 cations. 



GENE STRATTON PORTER 



ADVICE TO BEGINNERS. 



Butterfly farming is an occupation which may be followed by any woman as 

 a pastime, a hobby, a way to earn pin money, or as a business. Many collectors 

 never dream of making money, being entirely content to exchange specimens and 

 form a little private collection of their own. Nature lovers obtain eggs from female 

 moths and butterflies, rear the larvae, care for the cocoons, and when the adults 

 hatch open the window and let them fly away. They often send orders for 

 cocoons to study the life histories of the different species. Oftentimes the flies which 

 are liberated succeed in finding a suitable foodplant upon which to deposit their 

 eggs and result in adding a new species to that particular locality. Entomologists 

 are fond of studying the "zones" in which species of lepidoptera naturally abound, 

 but this does not prevent species from being artificially colonized in other zones. 

 England, for instance, has few species of butterflies, but scientists are constantly 



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