Biological Papers. , 119 



edge of a thicket along the bank of the Arkansas river, a few miles 

 east of the town of Coolidge. 



The danger of specimens injuring themselves is quite well pre- 

 vented in the box-trap, designed on the plan as mentioned for 

 direct entrance to enclosed light. The width of opening into the 

 trap depends on the space allowed between the edges of two in- 

 clined panes of glass which guard the front of the trap. They can 

 be set as desired. For Microlepidoptera, the aperture was nar- 

 rowed so that anything large enough to do damage could not enter 

 with these tiny and extremely delicate moths. The box was made 

 of heavy tin, painted outside to prevent rusting, but left bright 

 within. An oil lamp was placed at the back end, which is parti- 

 tioned by a pane of glass from the inner chamber, where the in- 

 sects are allured by the light shining through to the front. In the 

 bottom of the interior an opening is cut to permit the insects to 

 drop into the poison jar, a Mason pint, which is held in place by a 

 screw ring, made by the center being cut out of a cap, thus pro- 

 viding easy attachment or removal of the jar from beneath. The 

 jar should be strongly charged with poison, since it must remain 

 open when in use, and, for this reason, insects do not die as quickly 

 in it as they would in a closed bottle ; hence, if fumes become 

 weak, the captures are liable to flutter too long before they die and 

 mar their wings, as well as of others which they beat. In daytime, 

 after being removed and emptied, the jar will regain strength if 

 closed with a tight cap, or it can be used for storage purposes, or, 

 in a pinch, to kill extra large inserts. The price of this trap was 

 five dollars complete. 



During the past summer, this trap was used on two trips taken 

 for the University of Kansas, under direction of Dr. F. H. Snow — 

 one to Brownsville, Tex., and the other to Douglas, Ariz. Fully 

 8000 moths and butterflies were collected at the two places, com- 

 prising more specimens of the order Lepidoptera than had ever been 

 caught in any season preceding, and the majority of these were 

 Microlepidoptera, which have required months of work for the 

 spreading of their wings. The use of the trap contributed in a 

 great measure towards this successful collecting. 



Besides, hand collecting was engaged in to a large extent in 

 camp. At night, a lighted lamp was set on the camp-table placed 

 in front of the tent where the light shone on the canvas drawn 

 behind it, thus presenting an illuminated screen on which the in- 

 sects settled in numbers, and from which position, they were easily 

 captured directly into poison bottles. The tiniest moths could be 



