22 NATURALISTS' ASSISTANT. 



box, as the insects may be pinned on the inside and thus are 

 not seen by that class of society who think a naturalist a 

 little "cracked." Lepidoptera may be conveniently carried 

 by folding the wings together and placing them in square 

 sheets of paper folded into a triangular form. 



It is impossible to say exactly where insects may be found. 

 In general terms, gardens, the edges of woods and banks of 

 ponds and streams are more bountifully supplied than tree- 

 less meadows or deep forests. In winter the moss and bark 

 on trees cover many beetles, spiders, Tingids and hymenop- 

 terous insects, as well as pupae of these and other orders. 

 In the summer, insects are far more numerous. The open 

 fields will afford numerous Lepidoptera, beds of flowers will 

 attract all orders, certain forms affect mushrooms and toad- 

 stools, and Silphida, Nitidulidtz, and Staphytinida, as well 

 as various flies, may be found in the vicinity of carrion. Old 

 boards and logs afford hiding places for various larvae as well 

 as spiders, myriapods and beetles, while in such places the 

 Thysanura thrive. In the moist loose earth at the edges or 

 woods Campodea, Trichopetalum, Scolopendrella and the 

 Pauropidce should be sought. Other species of insects, 

 notably certain Scarab&idce and dipterous larvae, live in ex- 

 crementitious matter. Ponds and streams contain large 

 numbers of insects ; beetles, bugs and the larvae of several 

 other groups. One may do much for science by studying 

 the transformations of these aquatic forms. Of the various 

 stages passed through by our species of dragon-flies, caddis- 

 flies, may-flies, etc., almost nothing is known. The galls 

 found on trees and plants may be taken home and the larvae 



