COLLECTING, PRESERVING AND APPLIANCES 



31 



insects is an interesting one, and has attracted considerable 

 attention lately. With reference to the habitual attitude 

 of Anopheles as contrasted with Culex, and with the view 

 of more accurately studying this point, I have devised an 

 arrangement for photographing living, resting Mosquitoes 

 in profile. The appliance consists of a frame of thin wood 

 about lin. deep, and 4:^in. x 3^in. in dimensions. This 

 frame is converted into a box with glass top and bottom 

 by means of a couple of the glasses of waste quarter-plate 

 negatives, kept in position by adjustable brass clips. In 

 each of the two vertical sides is an oval opening, closed by 

 a small piece of gauze glued on to the inside of the frame. 

 When a living Mosquito is introduced into the box it 

 generally settles on the gauze, and if the box be then placed 

 in front of a long extension camera so that the edge of the 

 vertical side of the frame crosses the field of view, one can 

 generally obtain a satisfactory picture. 



Fig. 10. — Box with Glass Front and Back for Photographing 

 LIVING Mosquitoes in Profile. 



Mosquitoes make excellent sitters, and I have obtained 

 negatives showing most minute detail, although the exposure 

 has to be some ten to fifteen seconds, as they are uneasy 

 and restless in too strong a light. It is useless trying to 

 get too great magnification, as with any lens of l^ss than 

 4^in. focal length, placed so as to enlarge about two and 

 a half times, it is impossible to get all the parts simul- 

 taneously in focus. For most purposes a sheet of white 

 paper is the best background, but it is quite possible to get 



