are placed in paper boxes or bags. The cyanide is a powerful anaesthetic 

 and soon renders the flies unconscious, but they will revive if released from the 

 bottle within ten or fifteen minutes. Remember that if damaged ever so little, 

 specimens cannot be sold. Large proportions of your catches are unsalable, 

 but if the females lay eggs they are of greater value than when perfect. Until 

 you learn to know the rare varieties it is wise to save all the damaged females, 

 but when you ascertain the valuable species you will confine your efforts to 

 obtaining the eggs of these. It is so little trouble to obtain moth eggs from 

 either the rare or common kinds, and moths lay so many eggs, that sorting 

 and saving the females becomes the most important work of the butterfly 

 farmer. Never touch an insect with your fingers except when pinning it, and 

 then only on the underside and with greatest care. Your forceps should be 

 your inseparable companion on sugaring trips. Never place beetles in the 

 same bottle with moths or butterflies. Carry at least two or three bottles so 

 that it will not be necessary to have a number of fluttering moths in one 

 bottle. Paper bags may be pinned to a clothes-line with clothes-pins which 

 snap together with a spring. 



VALUE OF MOTHS. 



There is greater interest in moths at the present time than at any other 

 period in entomological history. Possibly because the butterflies of the United 

 States have been pretty well worked up, or because the study of the moths 

 offers such a marvelous field for research, many learned scientists are working 

 almost exclusively with the moth families. A large number of specialists are 

 devoting all their talent and energy to particular groups and genera. The 

 entomologists of other countries are eager to secure collections of American 

 moths and the demand for them is constantly increasing. Many species bring 

 fancy prices and the entire season's catch can be disposed of at fair figures. 

 Each collector who understands how to successfully sugar can offer thousands 

 of perfect specimens each year. The probability of discovering species new to 

 science justifies thorough work in each locality. Large numbers of moths can 

 be taken at lights, especially where an electric plant has been recently in- 

 stalled. Searching flowers at night with a carbide lamp and cyanide bottle 

 often yields excellent returns. There are many varieties of traps which may be 

 used to advantage. Attracted by the head-lights of locomotives moths are 

 frequently carried into round-houses by the engines. Hundred of larvae may 

 be obtained while sugaring and by beating bushes at night and can be found 

 under the leaves and debris under plants and trees. But when all is said, the 

 best and most satisfactory method of collecting large numbers of moths is by 

 sugaring. 



N. B.— TO ENABLE ME TO GIVE MY PERSONAL IN- 

 STRUCTION BY LETTER TO EACH PUPIL THE CORRESPOND- 

 ENCE COURSE WILL BE LIMITED. ONLY A SMALL EDITION 

 OF "THE BUTTERFLY FARMER" IS PUBLISHED, AND, ALL 

 SUBSCRIPTIONS DURING THE YEAR WILL BEGIN WITH VOL. 

 1, NO. 1. 



Address all letters: (MISS) XIMENA McGLASHAN, 



Truckee, California. 



96 



