i893.] THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 227 



1 . . 



Monday following while getting some of the food plant {Galium wrum) 

 at Crosby, I boxed two more larvae, and later in the day I paid a 

 second visit to Wallasey, where I was successful in the space of two 

 hours in taking eight more specimens. 



My collecting apparatus was an ordinary " band box " with a good 

 sized hole cut in the lid, which was kept plugged with a handful of grass. 

 Such an arrangement as this was an effectual preventative against 

 " sweating" of which I had heard sad stories, through the over-crowding 

 of larvae in small tin boxes. I, at any rate, meant to be on the safe 

 side in this respect. The plug of grass was easily removed when an 

 additional larva was found, and I rested quite content that it was an 

 effectual plug, until nearing Chester, when I was suddenly awakened 

 to the fact, that one of the larvae had escaped, and was quickly making 

 its way between two ladies, who occupied seats opposite to me in the 

 compartment. Horrors ! you should have seen theirjjfaces ! " Sam 

 Edwards " was never in a worse plight. Fortunately for me I had no 

 sooner returned the escaped larva when the train pulled up at Chester 

 Station, which I need hardly say was a great relief of mind ; and I do 

 not know that I ever left a railway carriage, in a greater hurry in my 

 life. 



Having obtained my larvae I was much exercised as to the method 

 of rearing them, especially so as I had had no previous experience 

 with them. However, I proceeded as follows : — A strong box provided 

 with a lid of strong gauze was three parts filled with dry sand. In 

 this the 21 larvae were placed and supplied twice daily with fresh, 

 " hard " food. The box was so placed as to catch all the rays of the 

 sun, but was always put under shelter at night, and also in wet 

 weather. They seemed to revel in the hot sunshine but became more 

 or less torpid in wet cold weather and at the approach of night. 



My first larva pupated about a week after its capture and the last 

 disappeared about the 22nd of September. 



Three or four pupated in the sand about an inch below the surface, 

 the remainder spun slight cocoons on the surface, mixing with them 

 portions of the food-plant, &c, and therein pupated. 



At the end of October the pupae were kept indoors entirely and 

 placed in a temperature of 45 to 50 deg. Far. The room in which 

 they were kept was cool, and rather dark, faced due north, and was 

 slightly damp. In this they remained to the end of December. On 

 the following Januasy 1st, they were removed to a temperature of 50 

 to 55 deg. Far., and were slightly sprinkled with water for the first 

 time. On the 23rd of the same month four pupae were placed in a 

 " Pine Stove " in a temperature of 60 to 75 deg. They were placed 

 on sand in a large flower pot, and well covered with moss which was 

 kept constantly damped. On the 26th of February a magnificent 5 



