26 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS. 



larvae and pupae of the same Beetle, having nothing 

 to do but to break up the soft and rotten wood with 

 a powerful digger, previously laying a newspaper 

 below the log. The insects fell out in numbers with- 

 out being injured, and could be taken in any number. 



During the winter-time the Clivina is usually to 

 be obtained by digging at the roots of trees, and care- 

 fully breaking up the sods. 



When the insects are captured, the next business 

 is to know how to deal with them. There is not the 

 least difficulty with soft-bodied moths or butterflies, 

 as they can be easily killed when caught ; but the 

 hard-bodied Beetles are not so easily deprived of life, 

 and a great number of them will fight if placed in 

 the same vessel, and eat, or at least mutilate, each 

 other. There is nothing better for such insects, or 

 rather for their capturer, than the 'laurel-bottle.' 

 This is very easily made. Take a wide-mouthed 

 bottle, and fit a cork very firmly into it. Bore a hole 

 through the cork, and insert in the hole a swan-quill 

 or short metal tube about two inches long, so that it 

 may project at least half an inch through the cork 

 into the bottle. The upper end should be stopped 

 with a cork, and it will be better to cut the cork so 

 long that it can be removed by holding it between 

 the teeth. I always cut the upper part of the tube 

 slopingly, so that a very small Beetle can be scooped 

 up with it. 



For many Beetles nothing more is requisite 

 except to put a piece of crumpled rag at the bottom 

 so as to give them a foothold ; but for the fiercer and 

 voracious Adephaga an additional precaution is 



