A note on methods of preserving Insects 
in tropical climates, 
by F. M. HOWLETT, B. A., F. E.S., Christ's College, Cambridge, 
Second Imperial Entomologist, Pusa Research Intitute, India. 
There is little doubt that the ideai place for storing specimens in 
the tropical and sub-tropical zone would be a deep cellar or subter- 
ranean building at such a depth as to enjoy an equable temper- 
ature and avoid the extremes met with above ground. The diffi- 
culties would lie in providing for illumination and arranging for a 
constant supply of dry air at the same temperature as the interior 
of the building. i 
In ordinary laboratories, working-collections in a country such 
as India require constant inspection and attention, and while it 
may sometimes be difficult to arrange for adequate supervision, 
the risk of irretrievable damage from any negligence in this direc- 
tion is very much greater than in temperate climates. In any case 
deterioration takes place, and valuable type-specimens are best 
preserved elsewhere than in the tropics. 
Here the need is for methods such as will reduce to a minimum 
the amount of attention necessary to keep specimens from dete- 
rioration under tropical conditions, and the object of this short paper 
is merely to draw attention to some few points where experience 
has shown the ordinary methods to be particularly unsuitable. 
Tropical conditions are generally characterised by : 
1° Extremes of temperature ; 
2° Extremes of humidity and dryness; 
