290 INSECT LIFE. 



in these wholesale modes of collecting comparatively 

 little is learned regarding the species collected. On 

 this account careful searching for specimens should 

 be placed first among the methods of collecting. The 

 eye should be trained to detect insects in their natu- 

 ral haunts without disturbing them ; then something 

 can be learned of the habits of the species before 

 taking specimens. 



By carefully peering into herbage or among the 

 foliage of shrubs and trees many insects can be ob- 

 served and many lessons learned ; other localities in 

 which insects abound are indicated in the preceding 

 section of this chapter. 



This looking among herbage, in trees and shrubs, 

 and under stones in the beds of streams, is the simpler 

 part of searching. The more difficult part is to train 

 the eyes to be quick in recognizing the indications of 

 the presence of concealed insects. A dead or dying 

 twig will suggest a search for a borer ; the premature 

 turning yellow of the foliage of a branch will suggest 

 a similar cause ; the sudden wilting or drooping of 

 isolated plants is generally caused by insects either at 

 the root or in the stalk. A rolled or spotted leaf 

 should be examined and the cause ascertained. In 

 a word, the eyes should be trained to be quick in 

 observing anything abnormal in the appearance of 

 plants ; and the mind, to be quick to seek the cause. 



The Use of Nets. — Much of the success of the 

 collector will depend upon his skill in the use of his 

 net. The deliberate way in which one often sees a 

 net swung would indicate that the collector believes 

 that the insects are waiting to be caught. The small 

 returns, however, which result from this mode of 



