SEVENTH WEEK. 



NEEDED. A few slides and covers and a number of wasps. 



FIRST HOUR. Make careful dissections and drawings of the 

 mouth parts, comparing them with these already studied. For this 

 study, the labium and maxilla is best seen mounted in water on a slide. The 

 part should be dissected out and placed upon a small drop of water on 

 the center of the slide, and the cover glass laid on. Only enough water 

 to fill the space between the cover and the slide is wanted. 



SECOND HOUR. Make careful drawings of the wings, making 

 out the homology of those so far studied, and also naming the veins 

 according to the peculiar nomenclature used in this order. Compare 

 the introduction to Cresson's Synopsis of Hymenoptera. 



THIRD HOUR. Study the thorax drawing, and name the parts. 

 ELECTIVE WORK. Description. 



Weeks twelve to sixteen, either wholly or in part, may be devoted 

 to writing descriptions of insects. One insect should be described each 

 week. The descriptions should be full and accurate, and consist of: 



1 . Name. 



2. Short description consisting of: (a) Size, () general color, (c) 

 striking peculiarities. 



3. Full description, beginning at the head and taking up each part 

 in detail. 



4. Notes on habitat, etc. 



5. Number of specimens studied. 



Before writing the description, carefully read at least two recent 

 descriptions of closely related insects, and use the same nomenclature. 

 It is well to illustrate by figures, but the description should be com- 

 plete in itself, and not depend upon the figures. The important thing 

 in writing a description is to distinguish the things which characterize 

 the insect as a species from those, on the one hand, which are common 

 property of the whole group, and, on the other, are peculiar to the 

 specimen or variety. This becomes much more easy to do when a 

 large number of specimens are studied, both of the species and of related 

 species. In collecting, therefore, for this purpose take, whenever pos- 

 sible, many of the same kind. In writing a description it often be- 

 comes necessary to mutilate a specimen. The description should be 

 accompanied, however, with at least one perfect specimen. 



