THE MICROSCOPE AND INSECT LIFE 



to the Equator from either pole, and no keel shall 

 cut the waters, nor wheels turn in mills, when all 

 cities shall have long been dead and crumbled into 

 dust and all life shall be on the very last verge of 

 extinction on this globe, then, on a bit of lichen, 

 growing on the bald rocks beside the eternal snows 

 of Panama, shall be seated a tiny insect, preening 

 its antennae in the glow of the worn-out sun, repre- 

 senting the sole survival of animal life on this our 

 earth — a melancholy ' bug.' " 



There is probably no field more interesting for the 

 microscopist than that provided by the insect world. 

 Unlimited explorations may be made with the cer- 

 tainty of finding something new at every turn. 

 Most people begin their studies of insect life with 

 butterflies and moths ; some folk to their loss never 

 proceed further. We may well follow the usual 

 course, and make a butterfly our first study. 



Any butterfly or moth will do for our purpose, 

 any one with coloured wings, for some have clear 

 wings like those of the bees and wasps, but they 

 tare not very common, so that we shall probably 

 find a suitable specimen at the first attempt. The 

 more highly coloured the specimen, the more attrac- 

 tive it will appear under the microscope. After 

 killing the insect, and not before, we may proceed 

 to study it. Killing may best be accomplished by 

 Tieans of a killing bottle, failing this a hard nip on 

 he body, between thumb and finger, will do, but 

 t must be no half-hearted proceeding or the insect 

 vill be injured without being killed. 



193 N 



