The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-19

teral green house for not only raising
moths and butterflies, but also for cross
ing the species and producing new and
yetJunheard-of colers and shades and de-
signs And right in this connection Prof.
Branh has discovered that first cousins
will cross very successfully. although just
how one can tell a first cousin from an
aunt or a stepfather when you meet a
bug in an open field does not appear in
the narrative.
Prof Brauns collection, besides its
! types, is wealthy in varieties which are
variations from typical form, and which
prove the Darwinian theory of evolution,
representing a gradual deviation from
| form which will eventually produce a new
species in ALTERATIONS freaks of nature,
remaining unique, perhaps, forever, in
hermaphrodities, where we see the two
sexes united in a single individual, per-
haps the blue wings of the female coupled
with the green wings of the male, or the
wings of one sex with the body and an
tennas of the other, and in hybrids, rare
forms produced arti1cally by mating diff
ferent species of the same genus and
the rearing of the larvae until the but
terfiy energies a curious admixture of its
parents. It's a wise parent that knows
its own son in the bug world.
MAKES CURIOUS DISCOVERIES.
Prof Braun has brought about some
astonishing results in the crossing of
butterflies and moths, even made new
colors and tints, and in some instances
| changed the geometrical diagrams on
| their wings. He contends that no but
! terflies are just alike in color and de-
| sign, that crossings and recrossings are
! continually going on in the winged
world, just as among the members of
| the human race. only in the lepidopteral
| greenhouse he expects to turn out de-
| signs to order, like an up to date tailor
! Through a series of species he expects
! to work out an elaborate color scheme,
at times a perfect symphony Of shades
| and tints.
Prof Braun has also performed some
! astonishing acrobatic feats with insects
BY way Of illustrating certain phases of
natural science he has taken an ichneu-
mon fly, cut the body off, and the winged
! creature has flown around the room with
| this apparently necessary adjunct re-
moved. He has then glued the severed
body to the thoraX and seen the insect
again grow. This, 1t will readily be seen.
would be convenient in returning from
| the lodge on a dark night If one hap
pened to bump up against a locomotive
at a railroad crossing. He has seen SPHINX
| moths live twenty-four hours without a
| head, as though this attachment was a
mere ornament instead of a necessity.
"A InuIS Cndt expects LC
do in the enlarged sphere of cultivation
is to more nearly arrive at the solution
of the proper environments Of the in.
sects, the exact plant food upon which
each animal subsists and the surround
ings or a small scale that will closely
harmonic with its natural conditions
For taking O. butterfly or a moth away
from its environments is q good deal Xix,
| taking a tom cod on a sleigh ride.
| his home the professor meets theSt
requirements SO far as possible, witt
limited accommodations, but under the
new and more expansive roof Of tn,
greenhouse he Is in hopes to generously
pattern after Gods handiwork. But will
all the best boarding house aceommoda
tons the professor says there are GER
tain species that cannot be reared in cap
tivity for the reason they are SO sensf
lively adjusted to their natural environ
ments,
SEARCHING FOR THE COCOONS.
In hunting through the woods an(
| fields the professor takes what cocoon
he can find, in fact, everything that Il
loose in that line. But they are not 81
| loose as the average reader might infer
| 1t takes the eye of lynx to discovel
these treasures. The caterpillars, or lar
vac, are exceedingly difficult to unearth
| but once let a good hunter know the foo(
plant of a species, and his keen eyes viii
readily detect the larvae, though there
is but one on tree. But there is al
even more trying necessity for the eyes
for to hunt larvae only is often to cour
a long work with poor pay.
Larvae have their natural enemies II
parasites that lay their eggs beneath tn
skin of the caterpillar, thus destroyin,
them eventually. A large proportion o
caterpillars found at lLrgo are this para
, sitized, and after feeding them 70
months the hunter ss3s them die. TIL
safest way is to OBJ an eggs. This
done In two WAYS.
II fresh female is Ia,n she IS not kill
ed. but carefully u led in a box, i
which, within a Jew laYs, she deposit