952 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



Small Coleoptera may also be gummed onto card stages, with legs 

 and antennae outspread, and in such cases it is as well to mount some 

 specimens upside-down for ease of examination. 



Forceps (Plate 152, fig. 1) are an absolute necessity for any 

 collecting work and a good pair of forceps is as useful as a third 

 hand to the entomologist. A pair of forceps is invaluable when 

 collecting, in picking up all sorts of odd specimens, and is absolutely 

 necessary for handling pinned specimens, when the pin should be 

 grasped beloiv the specimen in order to avoid bending it when pushing 

 it into the cork. Forceps are made in various sizes and shapes and 

 are sometimes provided on the inside of one leg with a short pin 

 which fits into a hole of the ojoposite leg. Tastes diiier, but personally 

 I prefer a moderately small pair of forceps without a pin. 



Knives of various patterns are often useful when collecting, those- 

 most frequently required being a iield-knife, which may either be a 

 large pruning-knife with a curved tip or a stout pocket-knife, and a 

 medium-sized scalpel for delicate work. (Plate IS"?, fig. 2). 



Scissors are not often required for field-work but are a necessity 

 for cutting labels, setting-strips, and sometimes for trimming specimens. 

 Any ordinary small scissors are suitable. 



A lens is a prime necessity both in the field and for examining, pinning 

 and setting small specimens. A platyscopic lens, magnifying ten 

 diameters, by any good maker, is sufficient for ordinary work. Lenses 

 with higher magnification are less suitable for field-work. 



Glass-boilomed Boxes (Plate 152, fig. 3) are extremely useful for 

 collecting small insects which are required to be kept alive. They 

 are usually made of card board and sold in nests of seven boxes, 

 one fitting inside the other. The larger boxes are used for collecting 

 caterpillars and large insects generally, and the smaller ones are 

 very useful for small moths and so on. Care should be taken that 

 only one moth or similar insect is placed in each box ; if several 

 are imprisoned together, they are sure to disturb one another and all 

 are lilcely to be spoiled. Glass-bottomed boxes made of are also metal 

 available but are not satisfactory for use in hot climates, as they get 

 overheated and the contained insects die and dry up. " 



Killing an insect is the natural sequence to catching it in cases where 

 it is desired as a specimen. In the case of many slender -bodied insects,, 

 such as butterflies, this can be done whilst the insect is in the net by 

 pinching it with the forceps or between the thumb and first finger ; the 

 wings are held over the back and a smart pinch is given to the thorax, 

 at the base of the legs (not to the head, as the non- entomologist usually 

 imagines). This will kill most Lepidoptera outright but a few (Danaines,, 



