INSTRUMENTS. 93 



it causes the leaves on which they feed to retain their 

 freshness many days. Tin boxes are also useful to bring 

 home Diptera ahve : in this case a cylinder of tin passes 

 through the lid of the box, and is corked at the top. 



The clap-net, represented at the head of this chapter, is 

 the grand weapon of the entomologist. This is a large 

 piece of muslin, four feet long and nearly three wide, sup- 

 ported on two light rods, a, a, which pass along a border, 

 b, Z», made of brown holland, or other strong substance, 

 bend towards each other at an obtuse angle, and meet at 

 the top of the net, c : one of these rods is held in each 

 hand, the handles being the parts uncovered, and lettered 

 a, a, the net is fixed to each rod by means of a piece of 

 tape, which passes through a hole made in the rod at d, d, 

 and is tied firmly in a bow. 



The rods of the clap-net are each composed 

 of five pieces, united by ferules ; when taken to 

 pieces and placed in the net, the latter may be 

 folded in a very moderate compass, slipped into 

 a brown holland case, and put in the coat pocket. 

 For this kind of net both green and white muslin 

 are used ; but white is much the best, as the small 

 insects are more readily distinguished on it; 

 green muslin however has the merit of being less 

 conspicuous, which under some circumstances is 

 an advantage, for instance, in those country lanes 

 where the pedestrians are unused to such an ex- 

 hibition, the white net never fails to attract a little 

 crowd, which causes some shght inconvenience 

 to the entomologist as well as loss of time, for he 

 is invariably under the necessity of explaining 

 to the by-standers what he is doing. 



This net is the best for pursuing butterflies and moths 

 on the wing ; the hunter tries to get the net under the 

 object, and strikes upwards, closing the rods at the same 



