THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
45 
creature struggled vainly to escape : 
finding it useless, he twisted himself 
round and deliberately bit off the part I 
held of his leg at the joint immediately 
above it. I think it is in that most 
amusing work, ‘Episodes of Insect Life,’ 
that the tale is told of a hungry cricket 
having been known to dine off his own 
leg, accidentally detached. The strange 
proceeding of iny friend yesterday is a 
fitting pendant to it. — Charles H. 
Middleton, Rotherham ; April 27, 
1857. 
A Junior Entomological Society . — I 
saw in the ‘Intelligencer’ for April 18th, 
an idea of establishing a Junior Ento- 
mological Society in London. I believe 
that if such a Society could be formed 
here, it would be decidedly agreeable to 
many. Cambridge w as next to London 
in establishing a Working Mens’ Col- 
lege, and I hope it will be the same in 
forming an Entomological Society. — J. 
Prime, 17, Coronation Street, New Town, 
Cambridge ; April 26, 1857. 
To Kill Insects. — Having found the 
following method of killing insects very 
effective, and never having seen it 
noticed, I now send it, thinking that it 
may be of service to some of your read- 
ers. I may just mention that it is not a 
plan of my own discovery, but that I ob- 
tained it from a friend. It is as follows. 
Take a small bottle with a wide mouth, 
put some sponge in the bottom, then 
pour in a few drops of strong spirit of 
ammonia; keep the bottle lightly corked 
to prevent escape. Insects placed in a 
bottle thus charged soon cease to live. 
It is a very safe process, and also a cheap 
one, as sixpenny worth of the spirit will 
last for a length of time. When moths 
(these are what I have chiefly tried) are 
plentiful, two bottles, thus primed, should 
be taken, as when put in too quickly 
after each other they are liable to get 
rubbed. For taking Noctuce at sugar it 
is very good, as the mouth of the bottle 
is easily placed over them, and they im- 
mediately fall in. I have taken the two 
Calocampce in this way in fine order. It 
is not safe, however, to put in some of 
the more delicate green ones, such as 
Ilalias prasinana, as it destroys the 
colour, while Diphthera Orion and C. 
Aprilina are not at all affected by it, 
while with brimstone the reverse is the 
case. — J. Pristo, Alverstone, Whip- 
pingham, Isle of Wight. 
Sugaring. — The following method of 
sugaring has been found to answer well. 
Instead of brushing the sugar on the 
bark of the trees, get some pieces of coarse 
rag, mix up your bait, and steep them in 
it : let them remain till they are well 
saturated, when they may be pinned up 
wherever you wish, and when done with 
put away for the next night, See. One 
batch of rags will last for a length of 
time, sugar being added when required. 
Rotten apples, when sliced and pinned to 
trees, appear to attract moths nearly as 
well as sugar. Some of our friends, who 
are fortunate enough to obtain these, 
might try the plan, and let us know the 
result. — I d. 
The Preservation of Specimens . — I 
want to know whether there is any thing 
that can be done to insects (such as Co- 
leoptera and Lepidoptera) which will 
make it impossible for the mites to injure 
them at any time. The common method 
for preventing their attacks is, I believe, 
the keeping some strongly smelling sub- 
stance in the insect-box, but I have not 
found this method a satisfactory one, for, 
if the box be left unopened for some 
time, either through the smell becoming 
weaker, or from some other cause, on ex- 
amination the active operations of ver- 
min are often found to be going on 
inside. Now it is, I think, a serious 
drawback to the pursuit of Entomology 
as a recreation, if, after having devoted a 
considerable amount of time in acquiring 
a collection of specimens, it is necessary 
that this collection be constantly watched 
