REARING EXOTIC INSECTS. 283 



the East Indies and Ceylon, one from Java, one 

 from the Mauritius, one from the Sechelle Islands, 

 and four from unknown places in the East. Our 

 species, P. Scythe, Avas first described by Mr. George 

 Gray, from the fine specimen in the British Museum, 

 which was received from Silhet, a district adjoining 

 Assam. 



There is much to be learned respecting the rear- 

 ing of exotic insects from the work of Dr. Horsfield, 

 who was led to the study of insects, in Java, while 

 pursuing his botanical studies in that island. When 

 at Surakarta, the seat of the chief of the Javanese 

 princes, he instructed native artists to make draw- 

 ings of the curious larvae which were brought to 

 him, in all their successive stages. Each Cater- 

 pillar, he tells us, was placed in a separate rearing- 

 cage, which was numbered, and certain natives had 

 the exclusive charge of keeping them clean and 

 furnishing them daily with fresh provisions. As 

 drawings of each Caterpillar were taken in all its 

 stages, according to its number, so, when the 

 perfect insect appeared, a drawing was made of it 

 under the same number ; and so the whole of the 

 metamorphoses of a large number of splendid exotic 

 insects, especially Butterflies, were ascertained be- 

 yond the possibility of error ; many of which were 



