guarded by being in a frame-work covered with cheese-cloth or fine wire netting. 

 In nature it is probable that the greatest loss to lepidoptera occurs in the egg 

 stage. Just as artificial propagation of trout and other fish enables the fish hatch- 

 eries to turn out vastly more fry than nature could produce, just so the Butter- 

 fly Farmer may hope to improve upon nature's output of moths and butterflies. 



FLIES WITHOUT MOUTH ORGANS. 



Many of the moths, especially the larger ones, and some of the butter- 

 flies have no mouth organs and can neither eat nor drink. These species, of 

 course, do not require to be fed. Place them in a box and they will lay their 

 eggs without further trouble. The mouth organ consists of a long sucking tubs, 

 which, when not in use, is coiled on the lower side of the head between two 

 forward-projecting appendages. While the female fly is unconscious after being 

 taken from the cyanide bottle you can easily tell ii' she has such a proboscis or 

 sucking tube. It will be coiled up under her head like a watch spring. 



TIN BOXES. 



hliot and Soule in "Caterpillars and Their Moths" say: "The popular 

 book is wrong when it states that 'eggs must be kept in just the condition of 

 heat, light and moisture in which they were found.' The best and safest way 

 to keep them is to put them in a little circular tin box each kind by itself. 

 marking the box with a name or number which shows exactly what the eggs 

 are or refer to the page of the note book which says where they are found. 

 The httle tin boxes which country druggists use for dispensing ointments are 

 excellent egg boxes. Better still are the boxes made in Germany with glass in 

 the top, because in these the eggs can be watched without opening the box." 

 The boxes should be kept in a cool place. 



BUTTERFLIES NOT REQUIRING FOODPLANT. 



The late W. G. Wright, on page 35 of his "Butterflies of the West Coast," 

 says: "Females of the following names genera will lay their eggs upon any- 

 thing, even on the net itself, if other matters, such as proper shade, warmth, air 

 and quiet are agreeable to her; Parnassius, Argynnis, Euptoieta, Neonympha,. all 

 the genera of the family Satyridae, and, in part, some other genera." So i'ar 

 as I have experimented Mr. Wright is correct, though I should be glad to 

 receive the opinion of scientists upon this matter and should, if possible, like to 

 learn the names of other families of diurnals which do not require the presence 

 of the foodplant in order to deposit their eggs. 



DIFFICULTY OF OBTAINING BUTTERFLY EGGS. 



About half of all the butterflies will die rather than oviposit without the 

 presence of their own particular larval foodplant. To get the females to lay, 

 W. H. Edwards used to knock the ends out of a nail keg, place it over the 

 growing foodplant and cover the top with gauze. The butterfly confined in 

 this receptacle would generally deposit her eggs upon the plant. Other scien- 

 tists advocate placing a frame work covered with gauze or cheese-cloth over 

 the growing plant, or the placing oi' a living potted plant inside a gauze-covered 



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