REARING BUTTERFLIES FROM THE EGG 
NTIL the year 1890 rearing butterflies from the egg 
was seldom practised, owing to the general belief that 
these insects rarely laid their eggs in captivity, and 
that when they did, each species was capable of laying only 
a few ; consequently but little was known concerning the 
earlier stages of these insects, and in a few instances their life 
histories were entirely unknown. Therefore, in that year 1 
resolved to start rearing some of our butterflies from the 
egg, and if successful my intention was to devote my spare 
time to trying to rear each one of our sixty-eight British 
species. It was a task I was privileged to accomplish, but 
it occupied a period of twenty-four years of continuous 
research. Owing to the time, care and attention it involved 
in working out, figuring and describing the complete meta¬ 
morphosis (including every stage of the caterpillar), I found 
it useless to undertake the work of rearing more than three 
or four species in the same year. Having thus succeeded in 
rearing every species from the egg to the emergence of the 
perfect insect, the following notes on the method I adopted 
may be of some assistance. 
To commence with, living females must be procured and 
should be captured when in fresh condition, a day or so after 
their emergence, for I have always had the best results from 
specimens in good condition. Before placing the insect upon 
the food plant on which she is to deposit her eggs, she should 
be fed with sugar and water mixed into a thin syrup, a few 
drops on a card or saucer (the former for preference as it 
gives a better foot-hold). If the butterfly does not feed 
voluntarily, carefully uncoil her proboscis with a pin and 
immerse the tip in the syrup. As a rule she will imbibe the 
syrup at once and the procedure may occupy her for many 
minutes, often from ten to fifteen. 
When the insect has fed, she should be placed upon a 
food plant, already potted up. Water should be sprinkled 
