Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-08-08
Miss McGIashan Makes $50 a
Week Capturing Butterflies
and Moths.
A DEMAND OF FASHION

"A woman can earn $50 a week cap
turing and propagating moths and but
tefffies. No capital Is required. no
knowledge of the science. OF entomology
and there are few connected
with the business This Is what Miss
Xifnena McGlashan, of Truckee, Cal.
says. after four months of raising but
t~erflies, which she sells to women who
intend to have them liberated at fash
icnable dinners
Miss McClashan's success in a finan-
ctaf way is greatly due to this very
latest fad of society. the liberating of
scores of gaudy winged insects at din
pers and at dances.
7 graduated from the San Jose nor
mai school in June, last, and about the
middle of July saw my father teaching
one Of his grandchildren how to catch
and preserve a butterfly n nov to
rear butterflies from c~aterpillars.' says
Miss McGlashan. Expecting to teach
school, l thought it would be well to
know a little of this curious business
and wanted to be taught the rudiments
that / could tell them to my pupils.
Imagine my surprise n %incredulity
when I was told that l could make
more money from h outset than 1
could by teaching school.
challenging my father to prove this
statement, he sugared a dozen trees
down by the Trucke river, showed me
how to convert half a dozen quart
fruit Jars with tin covers into cyanide
bottles, rugged me up a lantern and
showed me- how to take moths from the
trees at night by placing the mouth OF
h bottle over the flies as they slipped
the sugar on the trees, and I began
work.
'.This was July is, and on the first
moths n butterflies and received a
check by return mail for $75. the first
money l had ever earned in my life.
4 nave learned to search bushes both
day and night for larvae, beating the
bushes at night with my hands or a
stick, the larvae dropping off into a
tray or into a sheet spread under
meath the foliage. In the daytime /
catch butterflies with a net. collect
eggs, larvae and cocoons from the trees
and flowers and shrubs and gather
fresh feed for my colony of worms. 1t
Keeps me busy from 5 O'clock in IN
morning until 10 o'clock at night, but
the work is light, full OF outdoor air
and sunshine, replete with interest and
delightful beyond expression. | have
taught Ave pupils and have been we'll
repaid by having them help me with
my work and give me their catches.
The most important part Of it all is
that no previous study or knowledge is
required. and that a very successful
collector may not know the name of a
single insect which he captures or have
the slightest hint regarding the science
Ehtch is bringing him a livelihood.
There Is a world OF study and scare
and scientific investigation. but 1t is
not absolutely necessary at first.
Only the perfect specimens are sal-
able. yet 9 take a large proportion.
With damaged plumage and battered
wings whether you use the net or
suearing. Every time you capture q
few flies you sort them over and liber-
ate the battered males n put the bat
tered females INTO little paper boxes or
paper bags. combining only one In each
Oox. 70 obtain eggs from female but
terftes requires peculiar care and In
struction, for they will not deposit their
s 9 except when confined in az gauze
] bag or Its equiv ent. and over their
will lay their eggs on the inside OF any