ROSS: HOW TO COLLECT AND PRESERVE INSECTS 57 



Many of those already received have filled important gaps in 

 the collection and added valuable records to the Survey files of 

 insect distribution. 



HOW TO SHIP A COLLECTION 



Specimens which the collector is unable to name should be 

 sent to specialists or entomological museums for determination. 

 The arrangements under which these specialists will undertake 

 the work vary, but experts often will study well preserved and 

 labeled collections in return for duplicate specimens which they 

 may keep. However, the identification of many insects is so diffi- 

 cult and laborious that rapid service is not always to be expected 

 by collectors sending in material. 



The collection needs special preparation and care to guard 

 against breakage if it is to be shipped to an authority for deter- 

 mination. 



See that all pins are thrust securely into the cork on the 

 bottom of the box. Thrust extra pins of the same height in each 

 corner and over the whole lay a piece of thin cardboard that 

 has been cut to fit the inside of the box snugly; then place over 

 this a layer of cotton wool or cellucotton thick enough to press 

 firmly against the cardboard when the top is closed. Wrap the 

 box in paper and then pack it in a larger box, protected on all 

 sides by a layer of excelsior or crumpled paper at least 2 inches 

 thick. 



REPORTS ON ILLINOIS INSECTS 



As a result of the accumulation of material and information 

 in the faunistic collection, the Illinois Natural History Survey 

 is publishing a series of reports dealing with various groups 

 of insects and other animals in Illinois. These reports are de- 

 signed primarily for use of the advanced student in zoology and 

 entomology. They contain information regarding the character- 

 istics, habits, and distribution of the various species in the state, 

 keys for their identification, and illustrations to assist in diag- 

 nosis of the characters used. Because of their great relative 

 abundance in regard to both species and numbers, and their im- 

 portance as pests, insects have received a great deal of attention 

 and much has been written about them. In most cases good 

 microscopic equipment is necessary to see clearly the characters 



