The Caoture, Preparation, and Preservation of Specimens 
wire into the proper form. When the ends have been inserted 
into the ferrule, melted solder or lead may be poured into it, and 
the ends of the wire forming the ring will be thus firmly secured 
in the ferrule. The ferrule can then be inserted into its mate 
placed at the end of a bamboo rod. I have commonly ob¬ 
tained for this purpose the last joint or butt of a fishing-rod as 
the handle of a net. Such a handle can often be purchased 
for a small sum from a dealer in fishing-rods. It can be made 
very cheaply. Any kind of a stick, if not too heavy, will do. It is 
sometimes convenient to have it in your power to lengthen the 
handle of your net so as to reach objects that are at some elevation 
above the head, and for this purpose I have had nets made with 
handles capable of being lengthened by jointed extensions. In 
collecting in tropical countries, among tall shrubbery and under¬ 
growth, nets thus made, capable of having their'handles greatly 
lengthened, have often proved serviceable. One of the most 
successful collectors I have ever had in my employment made 
his net by simply bending a piece of bamboo into the form 
of the frame of an Indian snow-shoe, to which he attached a 
handle about a foot and a half in length, and to this he affixed 
a bag of netting. He was, however, a Japanese, and possessed a 
singular dexterity in the capture of specimens with this simple 
apparatus to which I myself never attained. When tarletan can¬ 
not be had, ordinary mosquito-netting will do as the material for 
the bag. It is, however, too coarse in the mesh for many delicate 
and minute species. Very fine netting for the manufacture of the 
bags is made in Switzerland, and can be obtained from reputable 
dealers. 
In order to protect and preserve the net, it is well to bind it 
with some thin muslin at the point where it is joined to the ring. 
Nets are sometimes made with a strip of muslin, about two inches 
wide, attached to the entire circumference of the ring, and to this 
strip of muslin the bag is sewed. For my part, I prefer gray or 
green as the color for a net. White should be avoided, as ex¬ 
perience shows that a white net will often alarm an insect when 
a net of darker material will not cause it to fly before the collector 
is ready to bring the net down over the spot where it is settled. 
Collecting-Jars. — In killing insects various methods have been 
used. In practice the most approved method is to employ a jar 
charged with cyanide of potash or with carbonate of ammonia, 
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