Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 4 (1846).djvu/176

1342 I have a fine bush of this plant, growing on an apple-tree, and have found a great many moths at it this spring : I never thought of examining it before. The holly, when in flower, will I think, prove attractive, but unfortunately I have none here to examine. The Portugal laurel is very strongly scented, but I have found but few moths at it, though it may be more attractive elsewhere. I have no doubt that many more shrubs, &c. attract moths, and I shall be glad to see them noticed in the 'Zoologist.' The golden rod and the Michaelmas daisies attract vast quantities of Hymenoptera and Diptera in the autumn, but I have never seen any Lepidoptera at them except one or two butterflies.—F. Bond; Kingsbury, Middlesex.

On the treatment of Insects when captured.—In the last 'Zoologist' (Zool. 1240) is a note on the treatment of Coleoptera when captured. The article is evidently dic- tated by the purest feelings of humanity, but you must admit that it charges entomo- logists (at least indirectly) with wanton cruelty, a charge against which I will endea- vour to defend them. When I first became a collector, the apparent sufiierings of my captives for a time deterred me from the pursuit ; but afterwards I determined to try if I could ascertain whether the struggles of insects did really proceed from pain ; and the conclusion at which I arrived was, that they do not. As, however, the mere asser- tion of an opinion without anything to support it, may appear dogmatical, I will state the method I pursued. Finding a Noctua during the day at rest on a tree, I pierced it with a pin without its showing any signs of animation ; this surprised me, and I fixed it in a box where it remained motionless until the evening (the time it would have been on the wing), then it struggled very much, but surely not in agony, but only to efiect its escape ; for if the struggles were the result of its being impaled, would they not have taken place sooner ? I next caught a butterfly and pierced it in like man- ner, and I admit it struggled to the utmost ; but again, I think, not in agony, but only to extricate itself that it might enjoy its mid-day flight ; for in the evening it be- came perfectly still and exhibited no signs of suff'ering. These insects I kept impaled several days, and I invariably found that the former was still and the latter restless during the day, and the reverse at night. Am I not then j ustified in concluding that struggling is not the result of agony, but merely an effort to escape from imprisonment that the insects may rove at their appointed time ? I infer too, from these and similar experiments, that what we call pain is felt by insects in a very small degree; for I think it will be admitted that pain is destructive of life, but insects will live almost as long when impaled as when they are at large ; and even this diff'erence may possibly arise from some chemical action of their juices (for want of a better word) on the pin. This is the case of Lepidoptera ; that of Coleoptera is different, for during summer most of them appear at all times active, and therefore impale them when you may, they will struggle, but I think not in agony ; if it were so, their very suff'erings would soon destroy them, whereas I have found them revive after having been impaled for two days, and exposed all the time to an atmosphere strongly impregnated with cam- phor and spirits of turpentine. With all deference to Mr. Dawson, I must be allowed to doubt whether the sufferings of the impaled Coleoptera were greater than they would have been if exposed to a camphorated atmosphere to undergo the process of stupefac- tion : but I fully acquiesce in his method of ultimately destroying them, and consider his plan of plunging the bottle into boiling water preferable to immersing the insects : the colours will be less injured, and life almost as soon extinguished. I seldom collect Coleoptera, but do so occasionally. The method I adopt is different from either of those mentioned by Mr. Dawson ; and as it cannot well be taxed with cruelty, and has