reach of every person. With proper care poison in traps can be employed 

 with absolute safety. Never inhale the fumes of cyanide. One who fails 

 to exercise the utmost caution has no business to handle such substances. When 

 a bottle breaks it should be thrown into the fire. At all times when not in 

 use it must be kept tightly corked or covered. 



EXPERIMENT WITH FOODPLANTS. 



A. Walt Pearson, Editor Morning Bulletin, Norwich, Conn., writes: 

 "It has been a fashion among entomologists to keep the science of rearing 

 caterpillars to themselves so they have not been noted for divulging foodplants. 

 Perhaps most of them have depended more upon the net than upon the larval 

 plan for specimens. The rule is to feed your worms upon the food they were 

 found upon. This, however, does not give the best results. I have seen a 

 polyphemus moth found feeding on ferns dwarfed to four inches and fade to a 

 pale gray, and I have fed them on wild cherry to six or seven inches in spread 

 of wing. They also have fed on apple foliage or maple and I once had one 

 with borders of Indian yellow which suggested he might have fed upon bayberry. 

 I had this moth down so fine once I could tell from the color of wild speci- 

 mens what the larvae fed upon. I used to dwarf them with unpreferred food 

 and increase their size by keeping them on the foods they loved best. I have 

 grown all the large New England moths from the egg. I once grew some 

 foreign moths Strecker sent me the eggs of on lilac, when he assured me I 

 would fail if I did not have sweet potato vines for them. These were a pink 

 under-wing Sphinx of which I do not now remember the name. If I were 

 younger I should like to operate a farm along the lines you suggest. A chump 

 cannot do it — one must have a real love for Nature and Nature's works to 

 succeed at that. Since I have learned that your father is an entomologist and 

 corresponded with the leading lights of other days, I have a feeling of com- 

 radeship for him. He ought to be proud of such a daughter. I shall be 

 glad to aid you in your work in any way I can. You profit by it because 

 you deserve to. May your name be indelibly written upon the Entomological 

 rolls of all time." 



EASY WAY TO GET PAPILIO PUP/E. 



Herman H. Brehme says: "To get Papilio chrysalids without feeding 

 larvae is a point that may be interesting to some of your readers. Collectors 

 often find the larvae of these species abundant, but have already enough work 

 on hand to feed the rarer species. If the collector thinks that the place where 

 the larvae are is so isolated that there is no danger of another collector coming 

 and picking the larvae, he can safely let them stay where they are. All that 

 is necessary is to lay heavy paper or small pieces of wood near the bush or 

 tree and ninety per cent of the larvae will go under these hiding places to pupate. 

 I have done this for many years with good success." 



TRY TO LEARN TO IDENTIFY SPECIMENS. 



One of the first lessons in my personal instruction class is to teach 

 pupils to determine from Holland's books the common species of moths and 

 butterflies. You will be surprised to learn the great number you can positively 

 identify. You do not need to send away to an entomologist the larger part of 

 the species in your neighborhood. Send only those concerning which you 

 have a doubt. If you know nothing whatever of names compare a specimen 



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