1904] Nature Study — No. 17. 125 



drops of chloroform may be poured over the thorax ; this will 

 stupefy the insect instantly, when it may be pierced with the pen 

 dipped in oxalic acid ; the chloroform will soon evaporate and will 

 not injure the specimen in the least. 



Collecting. — With a little experience the collector will soon 

 become expert in the use of the net. Of course, at first specimens 

 will be missed and, even when caught, spoiled by careless handling-; 

 but practice will soon make perfect. It is impossible to lay down 

 any rules as to where to collect. Butterflies do not all fly in the same 

 places ; some kinds prefer sunny openings in woods, others swamps 

 or the margins of streams, others again are found along railroad 

 tracKs, etc. The moths are to be sought for chiefly at night." 

 Many begin to fly during the early evening and can be 

 caught around flowers at that time. The electric lights on the 

 outskirts of towns and cities attract great nu.mbers, and here they 

 can easily be collected. The method called "sugaring" is an 

 interesting and productive way to secure specimens of many kinds 

 of moths. The " sugar " is simply a mixture of molasses thinned 

 with sour beer, which is smeared on the trunks of trees at dusk. 

 These trees are then visited shortly afterwards and the moths there 

 attracted collected. A dark lantern is of course necessary to en- 

 able one to find the trees which have been daubed and detect 

 the moths upon them. When starting out, it is well to take some 

 kind of a collecting box in which to pin specimens. An ordinary 

 cigar box with a strip of cork glued to the bottom to receive the 

 pins will answer. Special tin collecting boxes can be bought, 

 but at first it is not necessary to buy these, nor in fact much other 

 apparatus. Entomological pins, however, are a necessity, and 

 these can be purchased in various sizes from the Entomological 

 Society of Ontario, London, Ont. 



Mounting — After having reached home the specimens should 

 be mounted as soon as possible before they become dry. If they 

 have dried, they may, however, be relaxed, by putting them in a 

 receptacle containing some damp sand. An old vegetable dish 

 does very well for this. For mounting butterflies and moths, 

 spreading boards are used. These can be made by any one ; soft 



