Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 4 (1846).djvu/178

1344 let till the bag becomes quite moist, then put it into a jar or other wide-mouthed glazed vessel, and stick the insects on the top of the bag, which must be tied over with a blad- der or secured in some way so that it is perfectly air-tight. Twenty-four hours are generally sufficient to relax most insects, but one great advantage is, that if they re- main a week or ten days in the laurel they are not in the least injured, so that they can be set out at any convenient opportunity, it also completely destroys the mites or mould if the specimens happen to be infested, and it will be found to have many very great advantages over the old plan of damp sand or flannel. I was in hopes, from experi- ments that I made on two or three green species, that the colours would not fly, but I since regret to find on further trial, that Hipparchus papilionarius, Hemethea vernaria and Cythisaria, are considerably changed by it. Mr. Dale informs me it answers equally well with the other orders, he having relaxed nearly the whole of his dragon- flies ; and it is much used at Bristol for the Hymenoptera. It also effectually relaxes the skins of birds, and kills the vermin much better than camphor. It is a very cu- rious fact that laurel should have the effect of relaxing insects, as it causes them to be- come rigid at first when killed by this means.—Samuel Stevens; 38, King Street, Covent Garden, March 5th, 1846.

On the treatment of Insects when captured.—All persons of, not feeling merely, but, reflection, must coincide with Mr. Dawson's remarks (Zool. 1240), on the duty (I will say, though that is not Mr. D.'s expression), of not giving unnecessary pain to the creatures, particularly insects, which may be captured for specimens. Being no ento- mologist, I have been reluctant to interfere in a matter which I do not understand, but have been rather surprised to observe no notice of a method of killing insects, which I have known to be practised with very considerable success. It was, to have a tin box (or boxes rather, as different sizes should be employed) made in two compartments, the lower having a perforated top (of course moveable) ; which lower division would be supplied, when required for use, with a quantity of common smelling salts, and the insects confined in the upper division, immediately over, but separated from the am- monia, the fumes of which rapidly prove fatal. Being at a distance from the parties who adopted this plan, I am writing entirely from recollection, after an interval of fif- teen years and upwards ; however, I am confident the operation generally was very successful, though I believe that sometimes very delicate colours were injured by the process, and that occasionally it was very diflficult, if not impossible, to kill the larger insects, such as the great moths, in which case they suffered much, besides beating themselves into a very useless condition as specimens. Certainly it must be indispen- sible to renew the composition continually, and I conceive it might be advisable to line the upper part of the box with cloth or something soft, providing against inter- cepting the free circulation of the fume from the ammonia.—A. Hussey; Rottingdean, February, 1846.

Endromis Versicolora. — A few days since I bred a fine male of this rare moth, which I received in the chrysalis state from Worcestershire about fifteen months since ; I made sure it was dead, as some of my friends bred the insect twelve months since, from the same brood of caterpillars which they procured at the same time as mine : it had been about three months in chrysalis when I received it. I had five others, but I regret to say they are dead.—Samuel Stevens; King Street, Covent Garden, March 5th, 1846.