The Capture, Preparation, and Preservation of Specimens 
For large moths and butterflies cyanide of potash and carbonate 
of ammonia serve very well, but it must be remembered that 
carbonate of ammonia bleaches insects which are green in color. 
It is well, in my judgment, to use a drop or two of chloroform in 
the jar charged with carbonate of ammonia, for the collection of 
diurnal lepidoptera. By putting a few drops of chloroform into 
the jar, the insect is anesthetized, and its struggles are made 
quickly to cease. The principal objection to chloroform is the 
fact that it induces rigidity of the thoracic muscles, 
which subsequently sometimes interferes with 
handsome setting. 
In the preparation of the poisoning-jar it is 
well to use a jar which has a ground-glass stop¬ 
per, and the mouth of which is about three inches 
in diameter. This will be large enough for most 
specimens. The one-pound hydrate of chloral jars, 
provided with glass stoppers and sold by Schering, 
make the neatest collecting-jars that are known to 
the writer. I have found it well to have such jars Fig. 46,-Cya- 
partly covered with leather after the fashion of a ™ de d ar prepared 
drinking-flask. An opening in the leather is left rated cardboard; 
on either side, permitting an inspection of the ^fpotash^ 3 ' 
contents of the jar. The leather protects from 
breakage. At the bottom of such a jar a few lumps of cyanide 
of potash, about the size of a filbert, should be placed. Over 
this may be laid a little cotton, to prevent the lumps from rat¬ 
tling about loosely at the bottom of the jar. Over the cotton 
there is pasted a sheet of strong white paper, 
perforated with a multitude of holes. In securing 
the white paper over the cyanide, the writer has 
resorted to a simple method which is explained 
in the annexed diagram. A piece of paper is 
placed under the jar, and a circle the size of the 
Fig. 47.—Piece of inside of the jar is traced upon it. Then a disk 
slit for pasting over is cut out about three quarters of an inch greater 
the cyanide in the j n diameter than the original circle (Fig. 47). The 
co ec mg jar . p a p er j s punctured over the entire surface included 
within the inner line, and then, with a scissors, little gashes are 
made from the outer circumference inward, so as to permit of 
the foldmg up of the edge of the disk. A little gum tragacanth is 
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