[39J COLLECTING AND PRESERVING INSECTS RILEY. 



Many of the smaller objects are most conveniently carried iu the 

 pockets of the coat, which acquires, therefore, some importance to the 

 collector. The coat should be of some durable stuff and provided with 

 many pockets, so arranged that in stooping nothing falls out of them. 



The Lens and Microscope, in the examination of the minuter forms 

 of insect life the naked eye is not sufficient, and a hand-lens, or, 

 for more delicate work, the compound microscope will be found neces 

 sary. I had, in my early experience, some difficulty in getting a satis- 

 factory hand-lens, and the use of a poor hand-lens in time injures the 

 eyesight, as I know by a year's rather disagreeable experience. For a 

 hand-lens the achromatic lenses formerly manufactured by A. K. Eaton, 

 of Brooklyn, 1ST. Y., and now made by John Green, 35 Liverpool street, 

 East Boston, Mass., are most excellent in workmanship and are satis- 

 factory in every respect. A very good lens can also be purchased of 

 any of the leading manufacturers of microscopical apparatus in this 

 country. The kind of compound microscope to be purchased will de- 

 pend upon the nature of the work of the investigator. Very serviceable 

 instruments are made by J. W. Queen & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., and by 

 the Bausch & Lonib Optical Company, of ^Rochester, 1ST. Y., and others. 

 The German microscopes are in many respects superior to those of 

 American make, and if one has sufficient means, I would recommend 

 the purchase of one of the better instruments of Zeiss's manufacture, 

 which maybe obtained either direct from the manufacturers or through 

 Queen & Co., or from the Boston Educational Supply Company. Micro- 

 scopic material, including slides, cover glasses, instruments for mount- 

 ing, mounting media, staining fluids, etc., may be obtained of either of 

 the firms named above. 



Having thus indicated somewhat fully the general methods of collect- 

 ing, and the paraphernalia most desirable in collecting, it will be well 

 to go still further into detail, and in connection with the different orders 

 give some more specific information that will be valuable as a guide not 

 only to the general collector, but to the specialist. 



COLLECTING HYMENOPTERA. 



The insects of this order, including Bees, Wasps, Ants, Ichneumon- 

 flies, Gall-flies, Saw-flies, and allied insects have always been of unusual 

 interest both to entomologists and non-entomologists on account of 

 their diversified and peculiar habits. In abundance of species they 

 exceed perhaps even the Coleoptera. In general they are day fliers 

 and always to be found in abundance on bright days about flowers. 

 The best season for collecting is in early spring, on the bloom of the 

 Willow, Alder, and other trees. They may also be found at any season 

 of the year, but the males of many species are only to be taken in fall. 

 In this order, species of many groups can be most easily obtained by 

 breeding. This includes the gall-making family, Cynipidas and the 

 parasitic families Chalcididte, Proctotrypidse, Ichneunionidai and Bra- 



