MORSE: ORTHOPTERA OF NEW ENGLAND. 275 
enough to admit the insects. This is baited with banana peel or 
other fruit parings and placed in a suitable situation, preferably 
in the dark, and captures them in numbers. Mr. Morgan Hebard 
of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, a special 
student of the Orthoptera, has used with marked success a glass 
fruit jar or tin containing an inch or two of molasses. This is 
sunk in the ground to its top, and proves a killing bait for Roaches, 
both winged and wingless, and for Stone-crickets. Such a trap 
should be visited every day or two, the catch should be removed, 
washed in clean water, and pinned or pickled. Almost any 
receptacle providing darkness and shelter is effective in trapping 
the European Earwig, — inverted flower-pots with the hole stopped 
with a cork, and pieces of the hollow stem of sunflowers in which 
bits of the sweet pith remain, are used abroad where the insects 
are abundant. 
Representatives of every family have been recorded as attracted 
to lights, sometimes in large numbers. Powerful electric arc 
lights, kerosene trap-lanterns, and even lighted windows fre- 
quently draw their victims and should not be forgotten by the 
collector. 
Besides seeking them in their natural haunts one should always 
be alert to detect the various sounds which they produce; by 
following these up much may be learned regarding habits and 
habitats, and captures often effected. 
Preservation of Specimens. 
In the field, specimens on removal from the killing-bottle may 
be conveniently carried home in tin or pasteboard boxes without 
pinning or packing. They must not be allowed to become dry 
and brittle, or to get besmirched unduly with the 'molasses' of 
their fellows (here again scraps of paper are indicated). Shortly 
after death a stiffening of the muscles — rigor mortis — sets in and 
lasts for several hours. During this stage, handling of the speci- 
mens is very likely to result in breaking off the hind legs of the 
saltatorial forms, which are very easily detached at this time. 
With due precaution, however, they may usually be packed for 
shipment without much injury. 
Immature specimens, especially of the softer-bodied families, 
and the earlier stages, are best preserved in liquid, — alcohol or 
