130 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, '04 



inches and the larger about 7 by 4 inches. Either can be car- 

 ried in a side coat-pocket. I also use these same boxes all 

 winter for relaxing dried specimens ; a teaspoonf ul of water is 

 sufficient, and for very small Tineids and Tortricids four to 

 six hours will make them just as soft as they were when first 

 killed ; much longer than this will make them wet, and once 

 wet it is impossible to do anything with them. A longer time, 

 say twelve hours, for the large, robust-bodied Tortricids and 

 medium-sized Pyralids, and the large specimens of the latter 

 family can remain twent}'-four hours in the relaxing box with- 

 out coming to harm. While on the subject of relaxing, it 

 might be well to observe that it is very advantageous to use 

 two boxes at the same time. The largest we can call the 

 storage box, which must be kept tightly closed all the time 

 except when opened quickly to transfer half a dozen to a 

 dozen insect specimens into a smaller box ; from the latter 

 they are to be taken one by one for setting. If only one box 

 is used, and fifty or more specimens are under way, the con- 

 stant opening and releasing the moist air will cause a good 

 many of the last specimens to become too dry to work with. 

 For this same reason, pick out and spread those with the 

 smallest bodies first. I do very little setting in the summer 

 time, simply pinning the specimens when fresh and storing 

 them away until winter, and find no difficulty at all in getting 

 the moths as perfectly spread as if this work had been done 

 when they were freshly killed. But if the time is available, 

 and it is preferred to set the specimens as soon as possible 

 after they are caught, it will then be well to sprinkle a little 

 water on the cork of the box while out in the field or woods, 

 so the moths will not dry too much before getting home. 



The brown canvas or khaki cartridge bags, sold in gun and 

 sporting-goods stores, with a leather shoulder-strap, are very 

 convenient and of light weight for carrying such of the appa- 

 ratus as the pockets will not hold ; they are made in several 

 sizes, and range in price from sixty cents to one dollar and 

 a half. 



The above apparatus, with a supply of pins, forceps (Fig. 2) 

 and a short stick or two of elder pith are all that are needed 



