-178- 



Others suggest benzine, camphor or ether, which serve, while worrxing 

 to death the insect, to worry away the interest of the beginner. Cyanide 

 of Potabsium has long since been rehed on by entomologists as the only 

 satisfactory collectors insecticide, and, used intelligently and with care, 

 it is a very gratifying agent. Yet there is lurking danger in its action 

 as a cumulative poison with persons who use it in extensive collecting. 

 Setting insects fresh from it, brings a modicum to the inhaled breath. 

 A taxidermist who poisoned an ow-1 with a grain of cyanide was prostrated 

 seriously for several days, by the fumes which arose from the flesh when 

 skinning the bird. I believe some .entomologists have suffered impair- 

 ment of health from this compound. Photographers were injured by its 

 use and that profession is very much relieved to day by the supercedence 

 of this by other chemicals. 



It has been deplored that we have not the laurel; the young leaves 

 of which are so much in use by European Entomologists. The "laurel 

 bottle" seems to be a reliable and of course a much more safe one. 

 especially for young collectors than the Cyanide bottle. 



We have no species of the genus Laurus like the camphor tree, 

 sweet bay and others. Our American laurel is the Kalmia latifolia. 

 Both this and the mock orange are said to be poisonous to the live stock. 

 I have experimented with both these without success. The peach and 

 almond pit abound with the order of cyanogen, also our wild cherry 

 species, (foliage) and I agree with Mr. Fletcher of Ottawa, Ont., who 

 stated at the Ontario Society, in 1884 that their young leaves killed in- 

 sects but soon became mouldy and inoperative. It is the inner bark 

 of the wild cherry Prunus serolina which I find to be a superior substi- 

 tute for the laurel, and the European laurel is indeed a cherry, Prunus 

 lauro cerasus, and not a laurel at all. The bark (serotina) derives its 

 power like the cherry laurel, from its content of Hydrocyanic or prussic 

 acid, and it is the same old cyanic insecticide, but it is in a natural and 

 also dilute form. Hence I assert the importance of the wild cherry bark 

 for use where children are taught Entomology and are expected to col- 

 lect examples and pursue the science practically. For the expert col- 

 lector it is useful for all insects but the most tenacious of life. Insects 

 immersed in the Serotina odor are exempt that 'greasing" happening in 

 cyanide especially that submerged in plaster of paris. Mr. A. S. Fullers 

 plan of holding the Cyanide down with a piece of tightly fitting paste- 

 board is cleanlier. The Wild Cherry or Serotina bark is abundant 

 everywhere in almost all collecting grounds. Its content of Prussic acid 

 has long been known, but I am not aware that entomologists have used 

 it. I venture it contains a larger percentage than is found in any other 

 vegetable form. (Either the cherry laurel leaf or the mock orange {P. 



