Page:Practical hints respecting moths and butterflies, with notices of their localities - forming a calendar of entomological operations throughout the year, in pursuit of Lepidoptera (IA practicalhintsre00shie).pdf/9

Rh under the respective months of the year, to give as succinctly, and in as plain language as possible, the ordinary operations to be performed in doors and in the open air by the Entomological tyro.

The month of January is, to the Entomologist, as far as the imago is concerned, almost a blank; it is, therefore, necessarily the best period of the year which he can select to “set his house in order” for the reception of his numerous guests that he may expect as the season advances; and if he does so he will find that a great deal of valuable time which he could ill spare during the busy summer season will be thereby saved to him.

The tyro who intends to breed insects (and he must do this if he expects to make good progress in Entomology) must provide himself with the following apparatus for rearing the larvæ of Micro-Lepidoptera, viz.:—several air-tight bottles (there is a bottle made by Messrs. Cook and Crawley, Raven Row, Spitalfields, that is admirably adapted for this purpose, especially for the pupæ of Lithocolletis and Nepticula); it is called the cylinder pattern, and consists of a bottle in the shape of a cylinder, with a wide mouth, fitted with a metal cover, round in the inside of the rim fitted with a metal cover, round the inside of the rim of which is a ring of cork: this being flexible, on the cap being on the bottle it adapts itself to the shape of the mouth, filling up all the interstices, thus rendering it air-tight; they may be purchased at from about 2s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. a dozen complete.

2ndly. One or more tin canisters, of any form most convenient for containing larvæ when collected; a large box, or two or three large garden pots, for planting