COLLECTING AND PRESERVING INSECTS BANKS. 



75 



in a larger glass jar. For the beginner the ordinary pint Mason 

 fruit jar will do, putting into it two tiers of vials, and then filling up 

 with alcohol. This method is very useful for museums, where many 

 specimens are rarely examined and there is usually insufficient help. 

 A better quality of jar is then recommended, and several kinds 

 are sold by dealers, none of which is as perfect as it should be for 



Fig. 117.— The double Marx tray for specimens in alcohol. 



storage purposes. For exhibit purposes it is sometimes handy to 



nearly fill the vial with cotton, which, pressing the specimen slightly 



against the sides, holds it in place. If the specimen is of a pale color, 



a piece of dark paper may be put behind it. All collections of 



alcoholics should be exan lined twice a year, replacing alcohol and 



poor stoppers. 



SPECIAL DIRECTIONS. 



COLEOPTERA. 



Beetles are more abundant than insects of any other order. As 

 they have a hard outer skeleton, they are readily handled, and as it 

 is not necessary to spread their wings, they are preserved with less 

 trouble than most other insects. Although most abundant in the 

 Tropics, several large families prefer temperate or even cold climates, 

 and are found as far north as any other insects. 



Few persons have had a more extended experience in collecting 

 Coleoptera than Mr. E. A. Schwarz, and the following account has 

 been prepared by him and is given in full: 



