104 [Octol3er, 



tho glass tube. Carefully prepared microscopic slides of the whole 

 insect, or of the particular part to be examined, in Canada-balsam or 

 glycerine, seem to me more likely to serve the purpose intended.* 



BoxiNa, Killing, &c. — Most small species, when caught, may be 

 placed in ordinary pill-boxes till arriving home from a day's excursion; 

 but if the weather be hot, many of them are liable to die, dry, and get 

 broken in the course of a long day. This applies especially to water- 

 frequenting groups, for these part with their moisture very readily 

 and soon become dry (Botanists experience a similar thing in drying 

 water-2)lants for the herbarium). Therefore, it is often desirable to 

 kill the insects as soon as caught, and pin them in a zinc pocket-box 

 with damped cork. A quantity of small glass tubes with corks is a 

 xiseful adjunct to the other apparatus carried by the collector. For 

 killing, nothing is better than a " killing bottle " (such as is now sup- 

 j)lied by any dealer), consisting of a short, wide-mouthed pomatum- 

 bottle, into which is placed a small quantity of cyanide of potassium, 

 this being covered with about an inch of plaster of Paris made into a 

 thick paste, which soon hardens, through which the deadly cyanogen 

 gas slowly passes. Such a prepared bottle will maintain its effect for 

 several years, and the insects die almost instantaneously without 

 becoming stiff. In the case of insects in small pill-boxes, it is ad- 

 visable to place box and all into the bottle, having first made (for 

 more rapid effect) a small incision with the point of a penknife in 

 each lid. Those species that have no great amount of hairy clothing 

 may be bottled from the net, remaining in the bottle until the time 

 arrives for setting, but hairy species rub too much one against the 

 other if this plan be adopted for them. 



In bringing these preliminary remarks to a close, I would re- 

 iterate that experientia docet is the best motto for the collector. I 

 have known men who have spent the greater part of a tolerably long 

 life in going from friend to friend asking advice, dying before they 

 could make up their mind which particular instructions to follow. I 

 cannot imagine a more unhappy or useless existence. Any honest 

 advice is w^orthy of consideration ; it is for the individual originality 

 of the recipient to apply or modify it to his best advantage. 



The few remarks on breeding that may be hereafter made, will 



be of necessity second-hand, my own experience on this subject not 



being sufficient. 



{To he continued). 



* Foreign collectors often send home beetles and other hard-bodied insects in spirits. This 

 plan should not be applied to Neuroptera, unless on the before-mentioned principle, that " half j 

 a loaf is better than no bread." or /or special purposes. Those with hairy bodies or pubescent 

 wuig.9 are much injured in spirits. — R. McL. 



