NETS AND SIFTING. 



The third net of the complete outfit is the water net. 

 The bag should be of some strong material through which 

 water will run readily. The rim should be strong and 

 may be either circular in outline or flattened at the side 

 opposite the handle. The advantage of the flattening 

 is that the bottom of ponds can be skimmed, but the 

 circular rim does fairly well, as the stirring of the water 

 stirs up even the insects at the bottom and they are caught 

 in the return swish of the net. A great deal of mud and 

 weeds will also be caught, but devices to prevent this, 

 such as covering the mouth of the net with a coarse wire 

 screen, do not work well in collecting insects. After 

 clearing the net of mud as much as possible by wash- 

 ing it through the net, dump the rest on the bank, pre- 

 ferably in the sun. Some insects will probably be seen 

 at once, others will appear as the mass dries out. After 

 you think you have found everything, wait a while and 

 look out for very small beetles. Many collectors miss 

 them. 



Many, or most, of the nets that are for sale have fold- 

 ing rims and jointed handles. Opinion differs as to the 

 best. When, as is often the case, lightness and ease 

 of transportation is an object, it is well to have but 

 one handle and frame, with interchangeable bags. The 

 landing net used by fishermen, in which the frame 

 consists of two pieces of flexible steel that lie close 

 together when not in use, is excellent. The two-jointed 

 handle is better than the three-jointed one, as one of 

 the joints of the former is just right except for high 

 flying or deep diving quarry. In these cases add the 

 second. 



A sieve is handy for getting the small insects hiding 

 under accumulations of dead leaves, in moss, trash, etc. 

 Two sieves with meshes of different size are handier. A 

 good plan is to have a strong bag about a foot and a half 

 square by two feet deep. About nine inches from the 

 top sew pieces across the corners so that a piece of half- 

 iriffh mesh wire screen can rest on them. Sift through this 

 until there is quite a bit of fine material in the bottom of 

 the bag and then retire to a comfortable place protected 

 from the wind and spread a small sheet of white muslin or 



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