36 
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES. 
taken in this manner from the middle of August until cold weather. 
It is useless to try this bait where flowers are abundant, and moths 
will not come on cool or windy nights. The same trees may be 
smeared night after night with good results. A small box contain¬ 
ing sheets of cotton batting cut to fit it is very useful for this mode 
of collecting. After a number of moths are captured in the poison 
jar, they may be turned out into the box and carried safely home 
between the sheets of cotton. It is best not to allow the moths to 
remain too long in the poison jar, as they are apt to rub their scales 
off, very much injuring their appearance. 
COLLECTING ABOUT WILLOW BLOSSOMS AND GARDEN 
FLOWERS. 
When the catkins of the willows are in bloom they attract a great 
many moths; and the collector provided with a bull’s-eye light and a 
poison jar may reap a rich harvest in rare JSToctuidce on warm spring 
evenings. So intent on the repast are many of the moths that the 
net will seldom be needed. I have in mind one near-by locality 
where, after a warm day in spring, the moths may be collected by 
dozens on the willow catkins. 
Many species of both butterflies and moths are attracted by 
fragrant flowers. The lilac, phlox, petunia, syringa, pink and many 
other common garden flowers are resorted to by butterflies and day¬ 
flying sphinx moths in the daytime, and by moths of many kinds at 
dusk and late into the night. A bull’s-eye lantern and a net are 
needed for their capture after dark. Some of our largest and hand¬ 
somest insects may be captured in this way, as they remain poised on 
the wing, tongue extended, extracting the nectar from the flowers. 
Some of the sphinx moths are very shy, and are liable to leave if the 
rays of the lantern are turned directly on them. They are apt to 
flutter a great deal after being captured in the net, so that they 
should be taken out and quieted as soon as possible, else they may 
ruin their appearance endeavoring to escape. 
I have taken in this manner in a single evening over forty sphinx 
moths, representing eight species, near one bed of phlox. In some 
localities I have no doubt that this number can be exceeded, or 
even doubled, by one who understands the capture of these fine 
insects. 
