THE ACULEATE HYMENOPTERA. 105 



cisely at the moment when you feel secure of your game and 

 are striking at it ; my ring has an oblong piece, filed square 

 at the sides, which drops into a brass-socket at the end of 

 the stick, and is secured by a spring with a short pin at the 

 end, which drops into the square piece at the side of the 

 ring ; this is secure and never fails to answer the purpose. 



Generally speaking, I do not recommend the use of 

 bruised laurel in a bottle, with blotting-paper to absorb the 

 superfluous moisture; but for some species, and on some oc- 

 casions, it is desirable and indispensable. 



Never put Humble-bees, or any pubescent Hymenoptera, 

 in bottles of laurel, ten to one all your day's collecting will 

 be entirely spoilt; the beautiful pubescence of these insects 

 gets wetted and matted together, then the specimens are use- 

 less. Always carry a good supply of pill-boxes, and never 

 put more than a single insect in one box. After the day's 

 collecting, kill the insects with sulphur; the best way is to 

 open the boxes a little on one side, by sticking the lid on 

 obliquely; then pile up a number and place a bell-glass over 

 them, take a little powdered sulphur on a flat piece of stick, 

 light it and nut it under the edge of the glass ; it is desirable 



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to repeat this a second time, at an interval of an hour or so ; 

 then leave them until the next morning, when they will be 

 in capital condition for setting. 



A well set bee is a beautiful object, it is then fitted for the 

 cabinet, or for the purposes of examination or description; 

 every part of it can then be seen ; of each species it is very 

 desirable to extract, when specimens are plentiful, or if rare, 

 to push forward, the tongue, so that this important organ 

 may be carefully examined, and the genus to which it be- 

 longs ascertained; this applies more particularly to the bees; 

 the determination of the genera of the fossorial tribe has 

 hitherto been principally determined by the neuration of the 

 wings. The best method of setting a bee, in my opinion, is 



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