ON THE CAPTURE AND PRESERVATION OF COLEOPTERA. 67 



In the winter months, from January to March, a greater deal 

 more can be done than is generally supposed, more, in fact, than 

 in any other order of insects ; and I will try to enumerate most 

 of the best places to find them at this time of the year. 



Moss is a never-failing harbour for Coleoptera in the winter, 

 and always yields a large quantity of species, especially those 

 minute ones which are diflicult to capture otherwise. When in 

 want of employment, go out into a wood or along a hedgerow, 

 and collect into a large bag, taken for the purpose, all the moss 

 that can be found ; when this is filled take it home, and pull it 

 apart thoroughly, piece by piece, over a large sheet of white 

 paper or a sheet. Each piece must be well beaten and torn 

 about, as some of the occupants are exceedingly difficult to dis- 

 lodge. One of the best store-houses for a coleopterist is a dead 

 or dying tree or log with the bark on, but loose. When out for 

 a stroll always be on the look-out for these, and note their 

 whereabouts in your mind. By far the most productive trees 

 are those having a rough bark ; the beetles are very fond of 

 getting up into the cracks and notches on these trees. 



Having arrived at a likely-looking tree, let us begin operations. 

 It is a good plan to begin at one end and work steadily along it, 

 tearing off every scrap of bark as you go, and examining both 

 the bark and the trunk. If only one be examined, the trunk or 

 the bark, many species will be lost. The before-mentioned 

 digger will be found very useful for this work. When all the 

 bark is off, pull back and examine closely the herbage growing by 

 the sides, and finally, if possible, turn the tree over and examine 

 the ground under it. I have found an old decaying willow 

 literally swarming with Sinodendron cylindricum, male and female, 

 and all perfectly torpid. 



After having broken up and inspected any rotten wood that 

 can be got at, the tree can be fairly left as *' done for ; " and left 

 it should be, with an ample harvest in the bottle of the energetic 

 collector. 



Whenever a stone is met with, of whatever size, it should be 

 lifted up and examined, with the ground under it ; many species 

 of Coleoptera are seldom found except in these places. Bricks 

 and tiles, for some reason, hardly ever harbour anything. 



The bark on palings and posts, and the crevices about them, 

 should never be passed over. 



