Collecting and Preserving Insects 



The Sweeping or Beating Net. Very many insects feed or 

 rest upon grasses and low plants, and the beating net, which is 

 made on the same principle as the butterfly net, is a most useful 

 instrument with which to collect 

 these forms. It should have a 

 strong frame and the cloth of 

 which it is composed should be 

 light in color and strong like 

 cheese cloth. The beating net 

 is not necessarily pointed but 

 may be rounded at the bottom. 

 The collector passes the net 

 several times quickly over the 

 low shrubbery or grass and then 

 sits down to examine his cap- 

 tures and remove them to the 

 cyanide bottle. The ring of the 

 beating net should be especially 

 strong, either of brass or iron and 

 of one or two pieces and should 

 be fastened rigidly to the handle 

 either by means of a special 

 device, by clamps, nuts and 



, . Fig. 2151. A good hand net. 



screws, or by copper wire as 



above mentioned. The reason for this special strength is that 

 sometimes it is desirable to sweep tough bushes or the low 

 branches of trees. 



The Water Net. The water net may be a simple sag net 

 with a short handle, the frame being oblong 

 and the net or bag being of some very coarse 

 material like grass cloth or millinet. A sieve 

 net with sides of galvanized iron and bottom 

 of galvanized wire screen is desirable where 

 one is scraping up mud and sand from the 

 bottom of pools for the purpose of sifting out 

 aquatic insects. 



The Sieve. A sieve with cloth sides is 

 an excellent bit of apparatus for sifting out earth, moss, 

 materials of ants nests, etc., the size of the wire meshes 

 at the bottom being larger when it is desired to sift the 



391 



Fig. 252. Small 

 water dip net. 

 (After Riley.) 



