NATURE STUDY AND LIFE 



of the cyanide coming through the plaster and saturating 

 the air within the bottle ; hence avoid breathing any of 

 these fumes yourself and keep the bottle tightly corked at 

 all times. The cyanide is a deadly poison, and the fact 

 that it is a harmless-looking white substance, not unlike 

 lump sugar or rock salt and many other things, renders 

 it one of the most dangerous poisons to keep about the 



house. Label the bottle as in 

 Fig. 1 6. Such a bottle will remain 

 good for a season. If moisture 

 collects in it, wipe dry with blot- 

 ting paper or a soft cloth. 



Insects may also be killed with 

 chloroform. If this is preferred, 

 get an ounce of it in a flat vial ; 

 stick the handle of a small cairiel's- 

 hair brush into the bottom of the 

 cork, and, holding the insect in a 

 fold of the net, apply a drop to 

 each side (for insects breathe 

 through a row of minute holes 

 along the sides), and it dies 

 instantly. 



On a collecting trip you will 

 also need strips of newspaper, 

 in which the insects may be 

 neatly folded without breaking the wings or legs. 



Insects are mounted in a number of ways. The com- 

 mon method is to pin them in a large tray provided 

 with a sheet-cork bottom and glass top; but these trays 

 or cases are expensive and cannot be recommended for 



FIG. 16. CYANIDE BOTTLE 



