PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
43 
about one in the morning, the sudden rap of a large moth, such as u Arctia caja,” 
is no joke to the nerves. Moths, attracted by light, are very fond of crawling up 
and down the panes, and when thus situated may easily be taken in a tin box, such 
as will hereafter be described. There seems to be little use in trying the light, till 
about half-past ten—that is, during the summer months ; and I may here mention 
a curious circumstance, which, as far as I am aware, has not hitherto been re¬ 
corded ; it is, that there seems to be an interval—viz., from about nine to half¬ 
past ten—during which moths appear to cease flying. From half-past eight to half¬ 
past nine they may be seen flying over and about the flowers, shrubs, &c., attractive 
to them ; but, at the end of that time, they almost entirely disappear. When this 
has been the case, I have returned home (and this over and over again) and tried 
the light, but in vain. I have repeatedly sat at the open window for an hour and 
a half, without seeing a single moth. A little before eleven, when almost in 
despair, a solitary specimen has appeared. This has then been followed by others 
in rapid succession, till about half-past one, at which time they begin to fall off 
again, and disappear entirely just before daybreak. On a sultry summer’s evening 
the ceiling of the Entomologist’s room presents a singular spectacle, from the num¬ 
bers of insects swarming about it. I say insects , for the collector must be pre¬ 
pared for other things besides Lepidoptera, such as spiders, centipedes, earwigs, 
midges, &c. He will also be much annoyed by bats, which speedily discover that 
the moths are attracted by the light, and, accordingly, visit you regularly every 
evening. I have seen a moth, when almost in my clutches, suddenly disappear, 
while the snap of the jaws informed me that the bat was too quick for me. The bat 
is a sworn foe to the Entomologist, and the wings scattered about beneath the win¬ 
dow testify to his voracious powers. 
I see no way of accounting for this lull in the appearance of insects, except by 
supposing that the process of digestion is then going on, and that they are then 
taking their siesta. There is one remark which I must not omit ; on nights when 
the moon shines, moths go to bed, and the best thing for the Entomologist, on such 
occasions, is to do the same, as he will not take a single insect. The irregularity 
in the appearance of insects is remarkable, and difficult to account for. Warm, 
sultry nights are, undoubtedly, the best, and when there is a little small rain falling 
at the same time, you may generally expect success; but this is not, by any means, 
invariably the case. The only period at which I have always found moths abun¬ 
dant, is just previous to a thunder-storm, when the air is much charged with 
electric fluid. 
For the purpose of catching insects on the wing, a net is requisite. A hoop, 
fourteen inches in diameter, should be securely fastened to a rod about four feet 
long, and a green or white gauze attached to the hoop. The bag may be three 
feet in depth. In fact, the net is almost the same as that employed in landing a 
fish. When the insect is in the net, the question is, how to get it out, without 
injuring it. The plan I adopt is as follows :—I have one or more tin boxes, of 
which the subjoined is the best description I can give—depth, seven inches, of an 
oval shape, something like an egg divided lengthways; breadth, one way, three 
inches; the other, two inches. The same proportions are observed throughout 
the entire depth. At one end is a false bottom, one inch in depth (this is included 
in the seven inches). This is to hold bruised laurel-leaves; and to enable the 
fumes to penetrate into the other portion of the box, is a small tray pierced with 
ten or twelve holes. At the other extremity is a lid fastened at one end, with an 
easy hinge. A similar lid is at the extremity of the false bottom, in order that the 
laurel-leaves may be renewed when necessary. The moth then being in the net, 
insert the box, with the top lid raised about an inch and a half, and your fore¬ 
finger upon it. As soon as you have the insect inside the box (a little practice 
will enable you to do this with ease), clap down the lid with your fore-finger, and 
in a few seconds the moth will fall insensible to the bottom. If, upon examina¬ 
tion, you find it to be one you do not want, throw it away, and it will soon 
recover, if not kept too long in the box. Should the insect, however, prove a desi¬ 
deratum, you can transfix it at once, and kill it by piercing it, just under the 
wing, with a quill dipped in a saturated solution of oxalic acid. For this purpose, 
I carry with me a little bottle with a close-fitting glass-stopper. This method, I 
