THE CATERPILLAR HUNTER. 
is 3 
comes in, or your own good luck, or the bad luck of the 
caterpillar, puts in your way what you least expected. 
My faith in luck has never been robust, but I know that, 
if you only give it a fair chance by covering plenty of 
ground and keeping your eyes open, you will make 
good many discoveries. 
Some of the best things I have got were found by 
noticing butterflies hovering suspiciously about one place 
and watching them patiently until I saw them lay their 
eggs. Once a rare swallow-tail passed me, and I started 
in pursuit, but soon guessing her purpose, stayed my 
hand and watched. After circumnavigating one tree 
many times she settled on a tender shoot, where she 
remained for some minutes and then flew away, leaving 
ten golden eggs, one upon another, like a jointed stick. 
This was the only butterfly which I ever knew to 
deposit its eggs in such a fashion ; they generally lay 
them singly in different places. Moths, which are alto- 
gether more stupid, usually lay them in a lump. Some 
do not even take the trouble to look for a tree on which 
their offspring will feed, but leave that to luck. 
In some parts of India I have heard of great things 
being accomplished by employing native agency, but 
