182 ELEMENTARY LESSONS ON INSECTS 



use of net and cyanide bottle. Dry weather is best for this. 



6. The electric lights at the street corners will furnish 

 adult stoneflies and mayflies, lace-wings, caddisflies, and 

 numberless kinds of moths and beetles, and the way to get 

 them is by net and hand-picking at night. Atmospheric 

 conditions control this sort of collecting. There is no better 

 collecting on favorable nights; but such may be few and far 

 between. Humid, cloudy nights just before a rain are best. 

 Watch the lights nearest home, and when insects are seen 

 to be about them, then go out. Streamside lights should 

 be visited for aquatic insects. 



7. The edge of a pond that is rich in shore vegetation will 

 furnish dragonflies and damselflies, midges and swaleflies, 

 pygmy grasshoppers and leafhoppers, and many kinds of 

 small flies and ichneumon flies, and the way to get them is by 

 energetic use of the net. 



8. The weed beds of a pond, or of a stream embayment 

 ("backwater"), will furnish water bugs and their nymphs, 

 diving beetles and their larvae, dragonfly and damselfly 

 and mayfly nymphs, midge and mosquito and swalefly 

 larvae, caddisworms in portable cases and other animals 

 not insects (such as snails, scuds, tadpoles and minnows) and 

 the way to get them is by sweeping the submerged water 

 weeds with any kind of water net. Dump the contents of 

 the net into a white dish of clean water for examination. 

 Take specimens with a lifter. 



9. The muddy or sandy bottom of the pond will furnish 

 dragonfly and mayfly nymphs and orl fly and cranefly and 



