NO. 1310. NORTH AMERICAN THYSANOPTERA— HINDS. 85 



tacles for the collections from various plants or other sources and thus 

 they may be kept separate if desired. The most convenient method 

 3^et found for catching these lively little animals is to moisten a tine 

 camers-hair brush and place it directly upon the escaping actively 

 jumping or flying forms. Those that are more sluggish in their move- 

 ments can be easily lifted upon the point of the brush and transferred 

 to the phial, which may be stoppered with a cork or wad of cotton. A 

 label giving such data as it is desired to preserve may be placed in the 

 phial or attached to the outside and a bit of the food plant may well 

 be placed inside with the insects. In this bottle they ma}" be kept 

 alive for some time, if it is not convenient to preserve them at once. 



Uzel recommends for collection from flowers, inclosing the flower 

 head, insects and all. in a four-cornered paper bag, folding the upper 

 edge over twice and fastening with a pin. Flowers of only one sort 

 should l)e placed in a bag. The contents of the bags are examined at 

 home upon a sheet of white paper and the escaping creatures captured 

 with the aid of a tine brush dipped in alcohol. In winter, dried flow- 

 ers and grass stems yield many hibernating forms. 



Tree-inhabiting species may be found by beating over a white sur- 

 face, or foliage may be collected and sifted by means of a fine beetle 

 sieve, which is a great convenience for this work. In this way. ma}" be 

 found also many species inhabiting turf, moss, fallen foliage, or decay- 

 ing bark. The sifting may be done directly over white paper or the 

 siftings collected by means of a fine bag fastened around the sieve and 

 examined at the collector's leisure at home. Some species are known 

 to inhabit certain oak galls and probably other galls will be found to 

 shelter other species. The gall is, as a rule, the work of some other 

 insect which the Thrips has appropriated for its home, but in Aus- 

 tralia some galls are said to be formed b}- the Thrips themselves. Both 

 Uzel and Jordan state that many inhabit fvngi, but I have not yet 

 found any in such a location. 



PRESERVATION AND MOUNTING. 



Various methods of preserving these tiny insects have been tried. 

 Being so small that it is impossible to study them without the aid of 

 a compound microscope, the method has been sought for which Avould 

 best preserve the natural form and color of the insect and the most 

 satisfactory results have been o])tained in the following simple way: 



The specimens to be mounted, having been brought into the labora- 

 tory alive in small bottles, are quickly killed, and at the same time 

 cleared, by dropping them directly into xylol in which they are left 

 for about an hour. They may then be mounted directly in balsam dis- 

 solved in xylol without danger of cloudiness resulting from moisture 

 in the insect bod}'. The mounts are clear, natural colors are well 

 preserved, and when dried they are permanent and always available 



