/\<, BBBTLl 



after being well soaked with the alcohol, may be allowed to 

 dry partially, but ti"t so as to become brittle, and then 

 packed in small pasteboard boxes, taking care, by shaking 

 the bos well before finally cl t, to pack th< uens 



bo closely that they cannot be broken l>y moving about; 

 the bos may then be closed by pasting a small strip of 

 paper around it. and the locality, date of collection, etc., 

 written <>n the t<>p.'* i Le< !onte. i 



We copy from a chapter on collecting Coleoptera, by 

 ESdward Newman, in Greene's " Insect Hunter's Compan- 

 ion" (London, L870), an account of Mr. Crotch's plan of 

 killing and preserving beetles, of especial use while on a 

 long journey. 



" Tlic following method has now been in use some time, and 1 

 has been fairly tested its advantages ai thai I make 



no apology for introducing it to the notice of your readers Tin 

 idea -it the process i- du< . as far as I know, to ML de Yuillc froi, who 

 used it with me in Spain, some years ago, with great success. The 

 specimens maj be collected in two waj rding to the size and 



the convenience of the collector. The first and best way, for small 

 [i b, is by putting them into •» bottle containing about half an inch 

 of dry pine-sawdust, in which has been previously placed a small 

 piece of cyanide of potassium about as big as a pea; thej will then 

 die instantly. Larger species and small species w hich do not th i 

 fly may be put into spirits in the culinary way, but the 8taphyl 

 and others generally open their wings in this process The Bawdust 

 should be pine-wood and sifted free from chips on the one hand and 

 from dust on the other, so as to be of an uniform size. For storing 

 the Bpeciea thus collected, a few tin canisters will be found i 

 venient; a layer of sawdust is placed at the bottom, and then dpi 

 and bo on alt< rnately to the top. The Bawdust us< d in the tins should 

 lamped (nol wetted) with a mixture of spirit and om twentieth 

 part of carbolic acid, which will effectually prevent mould <>r mites 

 and will bring tin- specimens home perfectly fresh and i 

 species, or specimens from a particular locality, should ! t. ur. 

 in a piece of rag or tissue-paper, with a little sawdust ind the name 

 of the locality. The specimens collected in spirits si b< removed 



as soon a- possible in a few days at farthesl . anil I ed to -aw 



dust Winn the tins are full, sonic more spirit and carbolic acid 

 should he poured in and the top soldered down : th< \ will then kei p 

 18 



