CHAPTER III 



COLLECTING AND PRESERVING WATER ANIMALS 



Collecting tools (Fig. 26). — For the smaller water animals, 

 crustaceans, insects, and the like, the important collecting tools 

 are a water-net, a white pie plate or saucer, a pair of forceps, 

 a hand-lens, a pail with a cover which fits over the outside, 

 and a few bottles. The water-net should be about eight inches 

 in diameter with a stiff rim to hold the shallow bobbinet bag 

 and a handle not over three feet long. Such nets are sold 

 by supply dealers, or may be made at home. The rim should 

 be so rigid that it will not bend and twist in the handle when 

 the net is pulled through weeds and muck. A strong frame 

 for a water-net can be made as shown in Figure 26, i and 2. 

 Two grooves are made at one end of the handle (Fig. 26, 2) ; 

 one groove is about four inches long and the one opposite is 

 an inch longer. A small hole is bored into the handle at the 

 end of each groove. The heavy wire for the frame is bent 

 as shown in the figure (Fig. 26, 2), and the ends of the wire 

 are fitted down into holes and along the grooves. The whole 

 end is then bound tightly with fine, strong wire or heavy cord. 

 The efficiency of the net depends upon the rigidity of the frame 

 and the tightness of the binding. The net itself should be 

 made of strong bobbinet fastened to tough cotton cloth cover- 

 ing the rim. A pie pan or any shallow white dish holding a 

 little water makes a good background for the field examination 

 of snails, leeches, dragonfly nymphs, and the like, while they 



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