Collecting and Preserving Insects 



fragments of old decayed trees and smaller when sifting ants nests 

 and ordinary earth. 



Chisel and Trowel. A small stout chisel for securing insects 

 which hide under the bark of dead or dying trees is a useful in- 

 strument. A stout pocket knife will sometimes do the work but 

 something stronger and better adapted to the purpose is desirable. 

 When one is studying underground insects a small trowel is a 

 necessity. 



Collecting Forceps. The entomologist skilled in the use of 

 his fingers and who does not mind an occasional sting or bite 

 does not need forceps, yet a small delicate pair made of steel or 

 brass, very pliable and with rounded tips, is useful in picking up 

 specimens and transferring them into vials and boxes. A little 

 dodge which is used by many entomologists in picking up small 

 insects is to slightly moisten the fore finger and touch it to the 

 insect which will adhere long enough so that it can be dropped 



into the cyanide bottle, .vial or 

 pill box. A camel's-hair brush is 

 sometimes used for the same 

 purpose. 



Fumigator. This is a bit of 

 apparatus used by European 

 collectors and to some extent 

 by those in this country. It is 

 used for smoking out specimens 

 which hide in cracks in the 

 ground or holes in hard wood, 

 etc. The accompanying figure 

 shows the common form. A 

 smoking-pipe mouth-piece (a) 

 with flexible rubber-joint (b) is 

 attached to the cover (c) of a 

 very large smoking pipe head 

 (d). To the mouth (e) of the 

 latter a rubber hose (/) is at- 

 tached, which has a convenient 

 discharge at its end (g). The 

 pipe is filled with tobacco, the latter ignited, the cover screwed 

 on and the smoke blown through the mouth-piece in any desired 

 direction. A puff of tobacco smoke blown gently over the 



392 



Fig. 253. The fum'gator. 

 (After Kiesenwetter.) 



