Butterflies generally set in one or two weeks; larger moths require a much longer time. In setting micro-lepidoptera, place the insect on a soft surface, such as blotting paper; carefully insert the pin into the thorax, and push it through the paper till the moth is in the right position on the pin. A common setting board with a very small groove may be used, or "a piece of soft cork prepared with smooth paper, and with grooves cut to admit the bodies;" or Fig. 9 may be made on a small scale, of cork instead of wood, also covered with paper. Spread the wings in the same manner as described above for larger species, only it is a much more delicate operation, and requires a greater amount of care and patience.

As entomology does not consist in simply knowing an insect in the perfect state, or being able to give its scientific name, a knowledge of its habits and transformations is necessary. To obtain this the student should collect and rear caterpillars, watching them through their dif ferent changes, and closely observing every particular connected with their metamorphoses.

The larvæ of moths are more abundant than those of butterflies, even where the moths themselves are comparatively scarce. Morning is the most favorable time to collect caterpillars. Trees should be shaken or jarred, bushes beaten over the net, or a newspaper spread upon the ground, the sweep net used vigorously among grass and herbage, and the underside of leaves carefully examined. Many of the larvæ of microlepidoptera are leaf miners; others draw two leaves together, feeding upon the parenchyma; and a few construct cases, which they carry about with them. The presence of "micros" is indicated by discolored lines on the surface of leaves, in which these minute larvæ mine. It may be ascertained whether the "micro" is at home by holding the leaf up to the light; leaves containing larvæ should always be carried in a tight tin box, to prevent wilting. The ground under forest trees should be examined, and, if fresh pellets of excrement are seen, the collector may sometimes secure a prize by pelting the overhanging branch, causing the larvæ to fall by the concussion. We have taken caterpillars in this way from, branches twenty feet from the ground. They should always be fed on the same kind of plant on which they are found; generally they will eat no other. Besides the usual pill boxes, the collector should be provided with a couple of tin boxes, three or four inches in diameter and five or six inches deep, the top covered with gauze, in which to place the worms with an abundance of food. Oak caterpillars should be kept by themselves.

Feeding boxes may be of any size, though boxes a foot square are the most convenient. They should have good ventilation, and the atmosphere kept moist by a few inches of damp sand and earth in the bottom. For species that do not transform in the ground, light cages of gauze may be used, placing the food, which must be renewed at least once a day, in water. The worms should never be exposed to the sun. Caterpillars of small moths may be kept in wide-mouthed bottles, or even in common tumblers covered with gauze, having sand enough in the bottom to enable them to complete their transformations. For leaf miners, where it is essential to preserve the leaf till the insect has gone through with its transformations, "a glass jar, tumbler, or jampot," (as Packard recommends,) "the top of which has been ground to receive an air-tight glass cover, the bottom of which has been covered with moist white sand, will keep a leaf fresh for a week. Thus a larva in the summer will have to be fed but two or three times before it changes; and the moth can be seen through the glass without taking off

the cover." As the pupa easily dry up, they should be kept moist. The pup of fall caterpillars do not change to the perfect insect till the following spring or summer, and during the time should be covered with damp moss and kept in a cool place.

The observer should note down the states of the different transformations in a book kept for the purpose, accompanied with full and accurate descriptions, and drawings when practicable. The food plant should be particularly given. When an insect is reared from the egg the state of hatching should be noted, the length of time required for the worn to become full fed, and the period it remains in the pupa state, as well as the state of appearance of the imago.

The swallow-tails, belonging to the family Papilionidæ, are among our largest and most common butterflies, and are found during summer quite common in fields and meadows. Papilio asterias is a black butterfly with yellow spots along the margin of the wings; its larvæ are green and black, and feed upon parsnips, celery, &c. The white and sulphur butterflies in the larval state feed upon grasses, and are green, hairy caterpillars. The different species of Argynnis have the under side of the wings sprinkled with spots of silver. Satyrus has broad wings of a delicate brown, with eye-like spots near the hinder margin; it abounds in open woods. The azure butterflies, and the class which are coppery. brown species, having a slight tail to the hinder wings, are the smallest of butterflies. The different species may be collected from May to October. The family of skippers, Hesperians, are rather small, thickbodied butterflies, having the antennæ hooked at the end like a shepherd's erook. The colors are brown and yellow. The caterpillars, which are green, have large heads.

Hawk-moths, Sphingidæ, fly only at dusk, frequenting flowers, into which they insert their long sucking tubes or maxillæ. They are very stout bodied, and have thick narrow wings, making them rapid in flight and hard to capture. The larvæ are large, green, fleshy caterpillars, having a terminal horn-like appendage. The humming-bird moths are smaller, and have transparent wings. They fly in the sunshine, darting into flowers, or suspending themselves above them like humming birds. Egeriada, small, clear-winged insects, with steel-blue bodies, in the larval state are borers. E. polistiformis bores into the root of the grape. The Bombycida, or spinners, including the silk-producing moths, are known by their large bodies, small sunken heads, and broad wings. The common white miller belongs to this group; its larva is thick and hairy, and is found very common in gardens. Several of the largest species, true silk-producing moths, of which Samia cecropia is an example, measure six inches from tip to tip when the wings are spread. The larvæ are green caterpillars, with scattering tufts of short hairs. Among the owlet moths, or Noctuide, the wings are small and narrow. As the insects are attracted to the light, night is the best time to take them. "The larvæ are tapering, and are striped and barred in different ways." The noxious cut-worms are the larvae of the Agrotis moths, some of which may be found in fields in autumn upon flowers; while others fly only at night, and lie concealed during the day-time in chinks of stone walls and like places. The Catocalas have rather broader wings, the hinder ones being beautifully striped with bands of red, yellow, or black, The Geometrida are easily distinguished by their slender bodies and feathered antennæ. The larvæ are known as span-worms, measuring worms, &e. Many of the species have angulated wings, generally of some shade of yellow, crossed with faint lines of darker shade. They may be taken in the woods in June and July. Delta moths, or Pyralidæ, so called from

the habit of placing the wings in the form of a triangle when at rest, are slender-bodied, having the antennæ always simple. They are found also in woods, resting upon the under side of leaves. The leaf-rollers, Tortricida, are found very abundant in summer, upon leaves of trees, low bushes, and herbage. The larvæ live in rolled-up leaves. The Tineida, though the smallest moths of the order, are very destructive to vegetation. The wings are narrow and edged with delicate fringe. The clothes-moth and corn-moth are representatives of the family. They are found in a variety of situations; many fly in the grass, always alighting head downward. These, with Alucita, a small family with wings, divided into numerous branches, close the order.

HEMIPTERA.

Bugs, locusts, plant-lice, &c.-This order has by some naturalists been divided into two, Heteroptera, or dissimilar winged insects, comprising the true plant bugs, and the Homoptera, or "insects with four wings of the same membranous texture, or having the upper pair leathery and the under pair membranous," as in the cicadas and leaf-hoppers. We will, however, consider them as one, and describe them as insects having a horny beak or sucking tube, four wings, the first pair of which are thick ened at the base and lie flat, or are uniform throughout, and sloping at the sides. The transformations are complete. Many of the species are aquatic; a few are wingless.

The insects are collected in the same manner as beetles; sweeping from grass and herbage, by shaking or beating, or by picking them from trees or plants on which they are found. They may be preserved in alcohol without injury. (The cicadas, as an exception, keep their colors better if killed by brushing with benzine.) The water net should be used for aquatic species, which live upon submerged plants and grasses. Those that remain torpid, or hybernate, may be found in stone walls, under rubbish heaps, and in dead wood, in all stages of their growth; brush heaps afford an excellent shelter. Specimens should be pinned through the triangular scutellum in the middle of the body; smaller hard species may be placed on card slips described for coleoptera.

The harvest flies, or Cicadas, are very plentiful upon the trees during warm weather; the males may be discovered by their noisy song, which is produced by a drum-like apparatus under the wings on the last segment of the thorax. The seventeen-year locusts belong to this family. The tree-hoppers, Membracidida, differ much in the shape of the thorax, producing many odd forms. They are found in great numbers on the leaves and limbs of trees, or on the stems of plants. The leaf-hoppers, Tettigoniada, pass their lives on the leaves of plants, where they may be collected late in summer in abundance. Aphida, or plant-lice, live upon all parts of plants, sucking the sap and destroying all vitality. Some species are apterous. Being soft-bodied insects, they should be preserved in alcohol. The bark-lice, Coccida, commonly called scale insects, are found sticking closely to the bark of trees. As they are crushed by removal, it is best to take them with a small portion of the bark to which they are fastened. The young insects escape from beneath the parent shell in the spring. The water-boatmen, Notonectida, resemble the leafhoppers in shape, though they are larger, and have the legs formed for swimming. They may be taken with the water net. The Nepida, also aquatic, are very predaceous. Some of the species of Belostoma are nearly three inches long. The Hydrometrida, which are among the earliest spring insects, are seen running upon the surface of water. The

Reduvius, or wheel-bug, is found in gardens, feeding voraciously upon caterpillars, and should be handled carefully, as the wound made by its piercer is quite as painful as the sting of the wasp. The family Reduviide are terrestrial. The Pentatomida are a large family of brightly colored insects, generally oval in form, having a very large distinct scutellum or triangular piece at the base of the wings. They are found upon plants; many are of large size. The Corcida are found on the roots and stems of plants, and are very active, using both legs and wings to the best advantage. The squash-bug is an example. Many of the species are gaily colored. The bed-bug belongs to the Cimicida, which are generally wingless. Some of the family are parasites, living upon birds. The true-lice, Pediculi, are degraded forms of hemiptera, though still preserving the sucking tube. They are parasitic, upon man and other animals. The species of bird-lice are very numerous, nearly every bird having its parasite.

DIPTERA.

Flies, gnats, &c., are provided with a kind of proboscis, and have but two wings, the second pair being reduced to a pair of small organs called balancers or poisers. Their transformations are complete. The larvæ are footless maggots. Pupa in some cases changes inside the skin of the larva. The limbs are free. Many species are aquatic.

In collecting diptera the sweep net is found to be most useful, and particularly in new localities. After several vigorous sweeps of the net right and left among grass, flowers, and herbage, says Loew, "by a dextrous twist of the handle, the apex of the sack is thrown over the ring so as to prevent the escape of the insects, and give them time to compose themselves at the bottom. It is then opened, and the common species are allowed to pass; but if there is one that is desired, it is allowed to advance to the middle of the bag; and then it is gently grasped from the outside of the bag with the right hand. The other captures are driven down to the bottom by blowing moderately on them, and confined there by letting the ring fall over the right hand which holds the insect, that is now easily seized with the left hand." When all the "good things" are taken out, the bag is inverted and the sweeping continued.

A little instrument similar to Fig 10, copied from New. man's "History of Insects," is useful for taking diptera or hymenoptera which alight on umbelliferous flowers. It consists of a scissor-like frame, with two circular or octagonal rings, covered with silk gauze or Swiss muslin.

Many specimens can be obtained by breeding, and with little trouble. Dipterous larvæ are found in dung, decayed wood of stumps, mold in hollow trees, soil under manure, stems or stalks of plants, and weeds, toadstools, &c. Many are found in water. They should be kept in glass jars or damp boxes, and not allowed to get too warm. Aquatic species can be kept in glass jars with vegetation enough to oxygenate the water. Where larvæ are known to transform at the place in which they are found, it is better to leave them till they may be taken in the pupa state.

Fig. 10.

Flies are injured by pressure, and therefore should be killed with fumes of benzine or ether, and then pinned, or pinned alive and placed in a box the bottom of which has been previously moistened with creosote. The very small or delicate species are sometimes transfixed upon fine silver wire and stuck into small pieces of pith through which commonsized pins are inserted, something after the manner of the card slips for

the coleoptera. In setting long-legged specimens, a square piece of stiff paper or card should be pushed up on the pins under the insect, and the legs allowed to rest upon it until thoroughly dry.

Musquitoes pass the first part of their lives in water, and may be seen by thousands in old rain-water barrels, jerking about when disturbed, or resting at the surface in order to obtain a fresh supply of air. They belong to the family Culicida. The crane-flies, Tipulida, are known by their long slender legs and bodies. The larva are found both on land and in the water; some live under the bark of trees or in damp situations. Cecidomyia includes the gall-flies which do so much injury to growing grain. Those species injuring wheat may be collected by sweeping in the spring. The Mycetophilida are small, active insects found in damp places; some species enter our houses. The larvæ live in fungi or decaying vegetable matter. The insects comprising the family Stratiomyide are prettily colored, and generally found upon flowers in damp situations. Some of the larvæ are found under ground, while others live in rotten wood, or are aquatic. Horse-flies, Tabanida, are among our largest diptera, and are found quite common in wood lands or pastures. The troublesome little fly which buzzes unceasingly around one's head, when in the woods, belongs to this family. The bee-flies, Bombyliida, are to be met with in April and May, in sunny paths in woods. They fly swiftly, hovering at times over flowers, extracting the honey with their long slender suckers. The Asilida in the larval state live upon the roots of plants, preying upon other insects in the perfect state. The Syrphide are beneficial, as the larvæ feed upon plant lice, They resemble hymenoptera in shape and color. Estrida, or bot-flies, are parasitic upon herbivorus animals. The flies have thick, hairy bodies. The common house-fly belongs to a large family of insects (Muscida) which in the larval state are soft, footless grubs or maggots. Tachina is parasitic upon caterpillars, destroying great numbers of them. By collecting the flowers of Compositæ, and keeping them in boxes, many species may be obtained. The Hippoboscidæ, or spider-flies, are found upon birds and animals. Fleas are wingless flies. The different species inhabit different animals.

THE CABINET.

Specimens should be arranged in tight drawers, or in boxes fitted with covers or glass slides, and kept in a case made for the purpose; or boxes can be made in the form of books, using both sides for specimens, and allowed to stand upon regular book shelves. A very convenient size of box is nine by thirteen inches outside measurement, and two and a half inches deep. All boxes should be lined with sheet cork, and then neatly papered inside with white paper, using starch paste. Cork strips, as well as entomological pins, can be obtained at any naturalist's establishment in the large cities. German pins are always the best to use. Numbers five and eleven (Carlsbad pins) answer for most insects; for small species, lower numbers are required. The specimens should always be pinned at the same height, as a lack of uniformity gives an idea of a lack of neatness. The specimens should be arranged from top to bottom in regular rows, three or four abreast, showing as many varieties as is practicable, and a neat label be placed above each. They should be numbered, and the number recorded in a catalogue, giving the name of the insect, locality where taken, number taken, by whom, and any notes. connected with its capture, as well as the date. Where several insects of a species are taken at a time under the same circumstances, or in the