138 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



this in the jar or in an old tobacco tin. Strong fumes of prussic 

 acid are given off, and soon kill any insect placed in it. 



The Net. 



A good useful stout net can be easily made by obtaining a thin 

 piece of cane or bamboo, bending it into a hoop-shape, and tying 

 the ends together so as to form a short handle. This gives us 

 the frame. A piece of muslin should be sewn round the hoop, 

 and then the sides stitched together so as to form a bag. This 

 will enable the collector to catch flying insects. 



Preservative Mate^-icds. 



Having obtained our insects, it is next necessary to preserve 

 them. Alcohol (methylated spirits, dilute whisky or rum) 

 or foi-malin should be used. If formalin is made use of, it 

 should be diluted with at least fifteen times its bulk of water. 

 Insects do not lose their colour in this, but it is liable to render 

 them brittle. All insects may be put into one of these solutions, 

 save butterflies, moths, and hairy Hymenoptera and Diptera. 

 "Hard" insects {e.g., beetles and most Orthoptera) need not 

 always be preserved in spirit : sawdust impregnated with creosote 

 or turpentine or carbolic acid is a very good preservative for 

 them. Camphor may also be used, or better still naphthaline : 

 pieces should be placed within the box in which the insects are 

 kept. If it is required to keep insects in store-boxes or in a 

 cabinet as a collection, they should be painted over either with 

 benzine or turpentine, oil of cloves, or creosote. This will 

 preserve them from other insects and from mould. 



Transportation of Insects. 



For travelling, all hard-bodied insects should be put into 

 bottles with any of the above-mentioned liquid-preservative 

 materials. The greatest care should be taken to guard against 

 the breaking of the bottles in transit. Parcels are continually 

 received containing when opened, only a broken bottle or two 

 with a few shrivelled up and useless specimens scattered about. 

 In a tropical climate like India, it is of the very first importance 

 that bottles should be completely filled with the preservative 

 liquor and hermetically sealed. This latter can be effectively 

 done by covering the cork and the top of the jar entirely with 



