entomology, whether he be in New York, 

 Louisiana, England or Japan knows just 

 what is being talked about. 



How to Determine the Names of Itiseets. 

 The beginning collector and student of 

 entomology will undoubtedly do his first 

 determining by comparing his specimens 

 with pictures in reference books. This 

 method is not only unscientific but will 

 soon prove to be most inadequate and one 

 should learn to use a key as soon as pos- 

 sible. A key may be defined as a list of 

 characters so arranged as to force a choice 

 between contrasting characters, thus grad- 

 ually eliminating the possibilities until one 

 is led to the proper conclusion— the name 

 of your specimen. Keys to the orders and 

 families of insects are found in nearly all 

 good entomological textbooks. Many 

 states have prepared check lists of the in- 

 sects that have been collected within the 

 boundaries of the state. Such lists from 

 your own and neighboring states will prove 

 invaluable and should be followed in the 

 arrangement of your collection. Later in 

 this booklet a bibliography of entomolog- 

 ical publications that have proven helpful 

 in the determining of insects will be 

 given. 



As one becomes more proficient and be- 

 gins to specialize in particular groups, it is 

 well to contact specialists who are willing 

 to determine specimens. As most deter- 

 miners have several years' work piled up, 

 it is well to know how to proceed in ob- 

 taining their co-operation. 



1. Write to the determiner, telling him how 

 many specimens you have on hand, where they 

 were collected and how they were prepared. He 

 will then tell you whether or not he can deter- 

 mine them for you. 



2. Be sure every specimen is accompanied by 

 complete data. If the specimen is pinned, be 

 sure the data is placed on labels as previously 

 described. If the specimens are in alcohol, place 

 data on good grade of paper with India ink. 

 Don't gather up a miscellaneous lot of insects 

 and send them to a determiner. He will only 

 have to send them back. 



3. Pack your specimens carefully so that they 

 will not be damaged and so the determiner can 

 remove them from the containers without dif- 

 ficulty. (See instructions on packing insects at 

 end of this section.) 



4. Understand that taxonomists should be priv- 

 ileged to retain as many specimens as they de- 

 sire, including all of a series if needed. Speci- 

 mens are of most value to science when placed 

 in the collection of an active worker in the 

 group and because of this the determiner should 



feel free to retain material sent in. 



5. Be prepared to wait a long time before in- 

 sects are returned from determiner. Remember 

 specialists are almost sure to be busy men and 

 rapid service is not to be expected. 



G. When the determiner returns the specimens, 

 the collector should offer to procure additional 

 specimens from that locality if he wishes them. 



7. Do not trouble the professional entomologist 

 until every other method has been exhausted by 

 the collector. Entomologists are constantly pes- 

 tered by collectors who are too lazy to identify 

 their own specimens and pass them on to the 

 specialist to determine. 



How to Puck Specimens for Shipment. 

 Insect specimens must be carefully packed 

 if they are to be shipped. As nearly all 

 beginners and many professional collectors 

 do not know how to prepare insects for 

 shipment, we are offering the following 

 suggestions in the hope that many scien- 

 tific specimens may be saved. 



First of all, select a strong but light- 

 weight box into which a tightly fitted pin- 

 ning bottom of celotex or cork may be in- 

 serted. If you can afford to purchase ship- 



Fig. 32. Pinned and papered specimens should 

 be securely packed for shipment. 



