The morning times., 1896-06-14
HUNTING BUTTERFLIES.
New Diversion for Country Sum-
mer Girl.

The summer girl that is, the real coun-
try summer giri-ha brand ne v fancy. IT
is butterfly hunting; the pastime amused
her so much when child that she is an
ticipating her season among the butterflies
with keeuest JOY.
This is one of the sports, happily, for
which a moderately flied pocketbook will
furnish forth the where withal TO invest In
I'm outfit. One and one-half dollars BUYS a
oox, with beautiful butterfly painted oa
the top, aud within are cork mounts, cya nide
bottle, narrow strips Of paper, pins and a
are-all but the butterfly.
A collection OF nets seems almost as at
tractive as the butterflies themselves. In
gay colored gauze, pale yellow, heavenly
blue delicate mauye and orange bues.
But about the prey: one soon learns the
art OF capturing these gossamer winged
creatures by a clever turn of the net; when
caught the butterfly must be gently seized
from outside the gauze, with the wings
back 10 back to prevent its struggling and
bruising itself
KILLING THE CATCH.
The best way to kill it is to take a glass
jar with a tight mouth which can be closed
tightly with a lid. Into this receptaci put
four OF five small Jumps of that deadly
opison, cyanide of potassium, covered with
enough plaster of paris. dissolved in water.
to form hard surface. After putting he
butterfly in the jar, cover closeiy y nd Ieaveit
for about five hours. As soon as taken ct
the butterfly must be placed on a cork
mount.
In mounting a specimen. the wings and
antcnDae should he spread out evenly and
confined with ma rrow strips OF pa per ia stem
ed down by pins, which stick easily in the
cork.
Most convenient an pretty for preserv-
ing collection OF butterflies are tie lit
tie plaster OF paris blocks which some col
lcctor has recently invented. They are OF
various sizes; you buy the blocks. 20 or
4" cents each. according TO the size OF your
specimen. The block is an inch ortwo Tick.
ofpiastcrof paris. chemically Y prepared, with
a groove In the center. in which the body
or the insect fits; a glass cover. Ike the
tue lid of a box. fastens closely over it.
so that the specimen is hermeticaIly sealed
and forever protected from dust; against
this snow white background a butterfly
shows off 10 the best possible advantage:
especially one of bright metallic blue or
those with gaudy orange wings.
FOLLOWING WITH THE NET.
To learn the retreats OF the butterfly
and the ravorite flowers OF different speci-
mcns is art of the training of an expert
hunter.
Not few are very limited in the se!ec-
ton or their haunts; some prefer the green
fields; pastures where thisties and various
weeds abound attract others: shrubbery
beside Streams or rivulets. sheltered val
leys or even the tops OF rugged hills may
be visited in search of specimens. Red
cioTer. migporette, and phiox are favurite
flowers for these dainty insects.
one OF the most cosmopolitan OF butter
flies, being found in almost every quarter
of the globe. is the painted lady, or thistle
vanessa-nay be looked for
about the middle of July. when the first
brood flies forth, and again the last OF
August. when another brood appears. Its
wings are blackisii brown, marked with
orange; white and gray also appear in its
coloring, and thistle forms the chief of its
diet.
A long-lived butterfly is the painted
beauty-also genus vanessa-wIich NAV
ce seen any time from the middle of May
to the end OF October. 1t is found in New
York and all New England States. usually
in the open fields.
Another specimen which one may add TO
ones collection is the cabbage butterfly
pieris rapae. II fits in town gardens; in
deed, IL is said there is no cultivated spot
where IL cannot be traced.
IN NEW ENGLAND AND NEW YORK.
The darnsei who is spending the summer
in the State of New York viii add the
banded eifin tgenus incisalial. the hoary
eifin genus in Dcisalia aud the dreamy dusky-
wing tnisonia des iceiusi to her collection;
also. IN the southern part of New York State
Is found that curious little butterfly which
has an odor like violets-the cloudless SUI
pbus (cailidryas eubuiel. Its wings are a
canary yellow. touched with brown: it must
be sou ght for in August.
In New England most delightful spoci-
mems can be caught. The morning cloak
genus envanessa}, for instance; in the
White Mountains il should be sought fer in
although il appears in June and
September in southern New England: its
coiors are dark maroon, yeiyety black and
straw yellow, with dashes of blue. The
violet lip. the viceroy and the Indian les
Ierd are other interesting butterflies OF
that region.
In Inv A,.<x,