ON MOUNTING COLEOPTERA. 87 



vitality is immediate, so that species with retractile tendencies, 

 such as Saprmus, ByrrJms, the Rhynclwphora, and many others, 

 which, when killed with laurel-leaves, cyanide, or ether, take 

 some days to relax, and are never easy to set, when plunged in 

 hot water die with their legs more or less extended, and if set at 

 once do not present any great difficulties. If not set at once, 

 rigor mortis sets in, and they must then be left from thirty-six 

 to forty-eight hours until this has passed off. In this case they 

 are best kept in a box, which also answers the purpose of a 

 relaxing-box ; at the bottom of one of the ordinary tin tobacco- 

 boxes, which have a habit of accumulating in some houses, place 

 a piece of the entomological peat, supplied by dealers in entomo- 

 logical apparatus ; on this j)lace two or three thicknesses of 

 white blotting-paper, and saturate the whole with a weak solution 

 of carbolic acid (1 in 40) to prevent the growth of mould ; after- 

 wards it can be simply damped with water when necessary. The 

 specimens can be laid directly on the blotting-paper, but I find 

 it more convenient to place them between the folds of an old 

 pocket-handkerchief folded in book form and stitched at the 

 back ; the captures of different days and divers localities can 

 then be more easily kept separate, and, moreover, can be succes- 

 sively dealt with as they become in a proper state of relaxation 

 for setting. 



Unfortunately the hot water method cannot be easily used in 

 the field on a long day's excursion, when many species are taken, 

 and as it is troublesome to keep separate the rapacious species, 

 the insects must be killed on the spot, and the collector has his 

 choice between laurel-leaves, cyanide of potassium, and possibly 

 ether. After trying each, I have returned to the first-named, 

 but the laurel-leaves must be finely shredded and renewed fairly 

 often, though when stale they can be freshened up with a few 

 drops of ether, the effect of which will last for a day. Laurel- 

 leaves have the great advantage of keeping the insects relaxed 

 for almost any length of time, and by using several bottles those 

 from different localities can be kept separate without trouble. 

 One disadvantage of laurel-leaves must be mentioned, and that 

 is if the specimens are left for a lengthened period there is some 

 danger of grease; but I have found that if the leaves are per- 

 fectly dry before they are used, this rarely occurs. It is hardly 

 necessary to describe the well-known "beetle-bottle." I use the 

 bottles in which the tabloids of Cascara sagrada are sold, and 

 through the cork bore a hole with a cork-borer to take a piece of 

 glass-tubing about 9 mm. in diameter — the larger the tube the 

 cork will bear the better ; the tube should project about If inches 

 above and one inch below the cork, and should itself be fitted 

 with a small cork made from the core from the boring, this 

 small cork should be tied with fine twine to an elastic band round 

 the neck of the bottle to prevent loss ; it is only necessary then 



