2G8 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
JANUARY 2. 
tunity as they endeavour to climb or flutter up the sides of 
the net. The box should be placed over the moth, and the 
cloth being then held to prevent its escape, the lid should be 
dexterously brought into its place. When in the house, kill 
them by means of the fumes of sulphur—six or eight 
lucifer matches will be sufficient for thirty or forty speci¬ 
mens. Provide a large basin, or vessel of any kind which 
fits close to the surface of the table ; then opening your box 
a little, just enough to admit the fumes, pile them one on 
another, until you have sufficient for your basin to cover; 
then ignite your matches and place them under the basin, 
until extinguished; close them up tight, and in five minutes 
or so you will have them all dead ; they may then be pinned 
out at once, as small insects soon become dry. All winged 
insects, more or less, may be captured and preserved in a 
similar manner Butterflies and moths are best obtained by 
rearing them from the caterpillars, which is done by putting 
a number of one class into boxes or breeding cages, each 
about two feet square, with a layer of three or four inches 
of mould at the bottom, into which many species will des¬ 
cend and transform into the chrysalis—the front and top 
of each box should be covered with gauze, to admit air; and 
the boxes kept out-of-doors in a shady place. It is necessary 
to supply the caterpillars daily witli the various plants on 
which it is feeding. In cases where the food is not abundant, 
or easily procured, a branch of the plant may be kept fresh 
for some days by placing it in a small jar of water, and 
introducing it into the breeding case. 
Many of our rarest night-flying moths, and other insects, 
may be obtained by smearing the trunks and limbs of trees 
with patches of a mixture of sugar and rum, and visiting 
the traps at intervals through the night, where many of 
them may be taken in an intoxicated state, either settled on 
the tree, or lying underneath. Another, and very successful, 
plan is to lay a white table cloth or sheet upon a garden 
lawn, or an open spot near forest-land; place on it a glass 
lamp or lantern, choosing a dark, still night; by this means 
innumerable varieties may be obtained; they may be taken 
with a small hand-net as they strike the glass of the lamp 
and fall on the sheet. 
Beetles are to be met with in every locality, and at all 
seasons of the year. Collectors should be provided with wido- 
moullied pickle bottles containing a little spirits, into which 
the beetles may be put as soon as they arc caught. Many 
good beetles may be found by searching under the bark of 
trees, beneath decayed logs and stones, and on the blossoms 
of various shrubs and plants. I would suggest a plan of my 
own, which I have tried with perfect success, for procuring 
beetles, and also land-shells, in the brushes of this colony, 
and which may be practised by the settlers with ease. It is 
as follows : A pair of working bullocks, with yokes and 
chains, are taken into the brush, and by passing the end of 
the chain round the dead logs, they are thus easily removed 
from the spot whero they have long lain, and a variety of 
beetles and other insects, and many singular land-shells, are 
thus brought to light. By this means, in one day, you can 
collect what -would take many weeks to accomplish by your 
own personal labour. In larger insects, such as “Animated 
Straws,” and “Painted Ladies,” also many of the thick- 
bodied moths, it is better to remove the inside of tho body, 
anoint it, and fill it out with a little cotton. 
Hints on Dredging, and on Preserving its Results. 
Description of the Dredge.—The dredge is made of iron, 
and should not exceed 201b. in weight. It has a flat, double 
blade, or scraper, on both sides, bearing slightly outwards, 
about two feet long, and one foot in width; to this iron 
frame a fine rope net, or strong canvass bag is attached; tho 
depth of this bag should be about a couple of feet; from 
the four corners of the frame extend iron rods, or arms 
which are hinged on the round parts connecting the blades, 
so as to fold up for convenience of carriage : the arms, when 
used, are fastened together by a shackle, to which the dredge 
rope is attached—the length of the arms should be about 
three feet. 
Managing the Dredge. 
Dredging requires some experience, so as to judge of tho 
length of rope to bo used; if too much, in a sandy bottom, 
the dredge will bury itself; if too little, it will not scrape 
properly. On rocky bottoms the rope must bo kept short. 
There should always he three or four times as many fathoms 
of rope out as the water is deep, or you do not fish up the 
shells which are buried in the sand or mud. In deep 
water the dredge can only be made to work effectually by 
placing a weight on the line, which, as a rule, may be about 
one-tliird of the weight of the dredge, and placed on the 
line at about two-thirds the depth of the water; the object 
is to sink the rope, and counteract the tendency it has to 
float the dredge. You should have a sieve of copper wire 
(10 to the inch), and wash the contents of the dredge, by 
two or three handfuls at a time, over the side of the boat. 
By this means you will obtain a hundred-fold more than 
can be obtained by searching in mud or sand in the usual 
manner. Many small and beautiful objects, with numbers 
of crabs, star-fish, sea-urchins, worms, corals, zoophytes, 
algre, &c., are procured by this means. Mud thus washed 
often yield good shells and other things; oyster beds and 
“rubbly” ground are generally prolific. Green grass-like 
weeds afford slug-like and other animals. All things found 
in mud beds are good, but they are not numerous; clear 
sandy bottoms generally produce very little. In our harbours 
many of the rarer shells are extremely local, and it requires 
patience and judgment to discover their habitat. Examine 
well the stones and dead shells brought up in the dredge 
from rubbly ground; they have often small shells and 
animals sticking to them, or concealed in their holes. 
Crabs, lobsters, prawns, and shrimps, should be preserved 
as follows : the large ones should be soaked in fresh water, 
until they begin to become offensive to the smell, then 
drained and dried in the sun; the smaller ones should be 
put into the strongest spirits you can get. Sea-worms, 
slugs, and other soft animals should be preserved in 
Goadby’s Solution; this solution is not applicable where 
bone or shell is present. Star-fishes and sea-urchins, or 
sea-eggs, with spines to them, may be preserved by being 
plunged into boiling fresh water for one minute ; dry them 
in an airy place shaded from the sun, but if large and fleshy, 
plunge them for two or three or four minutes into boiling 
water, according to their size, and dry them as above. 
Corals, if large, may be preserved in the usual way by 
drying, but without any soaking or cleaning: small speci¬ 
mens (or pieces of large specimens) with the flower-like 
animals of polyplis in them, should be preserved in jars or 
bottles, in the same solution, and the sooner the better. 
The live parts of coral are at the tips or ends of the 
branches, or at the water-edges. All sorts of sponges 
should be preserved; the large ones should be hung up to 
drain and dry just as they come from tho sea; never put 
them into fresh water, or remove anything that may be 
attached to them. Tho line of sea-weed and other matters 
thrown up along tho beaches at high water mark should be 
carefully examined; numerous and beautiful specimens of 
sea-weeds, sponges, and other marine plants, and frequently 
shells, especially after a strong gale, are often to be met 
with. 
All sorts of shells should be preserved, the plain as well 
as the beautiful. Marine shells are found in the various 
situations, buried in sand or mud within tide marks, clinging 
to rocks or stones, hiding in sea-weeds, or for the most part 
in moderately deep water; in tho last-named locality tho J 
dredge must be used. Shells should never he put into hot i 
water to remove the fish; they should be placed in boxes ! 
and covered round with dry sea-sand, suffering them to 
remain for several weeks, imtil the fish have decayed, when i 
they may be thoroughly rinsed in cold fresh water, taking 
care to preserve the operculum, or “ stoppers ” of such 
shells as possess them. Two or three of each sort of shell 
may be preserved with the animal in them by being pickled 
in the solution. 
Fossil Bones. 
Fossil bones, more especially those of the Diprotodon and 
other extinct gigantic animals, so plentiful in tho creek-bcds 
at Darling Downs and other localities, are very much required, 
the small bones as well as the large ones. 
Arsenical Soap. 
Common soap. lib. 
Powdered chalk (whiting) . lib. 
Arsenic. 3oz. 
Oil of thyme. £oz. 
