100 



BULLETIN 67, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



from nearby flowers. A midget net will be found useful for much of this 

 collecting. Many species of wasps and bees can be taken from flowers 

 with a fine forceps. Others can be captured with the fingers, as few 



bees can sting severely. The cap- 

 tures from each species of flower 

 should be kept in separate cyanide 

 bottles, and on pinning should have 

 a label with the name of the plant. 

 Soil collections. — It has long been 

 noted that sandy places, such as sea 

 beaches, are inhabited by a peculiar 

 set of insects ; a few of each order. 

 These are modified to suit their 

 surroundings, often protectively 

 colored, of strong flight, or resistant 

 to submersion in sea water. Other 

 kinds of soils have also a peculiar 

 fauna, although hardly as striking as that of sandy beaches. A low, 

 wet spot with black soil will have its peculiar forms of grasshoppers, 

 Hemiptera, Coleoptera, etc. In this kind of collecting one must often 

 get on his knees, and, bending close to the ground, watch for any 

 moving object as he carefully pushes 

 aside the leaves and sticks. A fine 

 forceps is the best instrument to pick 

 insects from such situations. 



Fungi. — The various fungi that are 

 so abundant in our woods in summer 



Fig. 157.— A Tachina fly. Trichopoda penni 

 pes. 





m> 



Fig. 158.— The saltmaksh moth, Isia Isabella, family Arcthd.e: Moth and caterpillar. 



and autumn conceal hosts of insects. Until one systematically 

 gathers and breeds them one has no idea of the wealth of material. 

 Fungi in different conditions afford food for different insects. 

 Nowadays it is quite possible to have the fungi identified by special- 

 ists in mycology, so that one may label the specimens with the name 

 of the fungus from which it was bred. The fungus, if moist, should 





