Decemheb 4, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



797 



tween physiologists and their students, the 

 writer wishes to suggest that this dispute can 

 best be settled by a competent committee of 

 physiologists. 



If there are enough persons really interested 

 in the matter, such a committee can easily be 

 appointed, say, by the American Association 

 of Physiologists. The writer for his part 

 would be quite willing to place his case in 

 their hands and abide by their judgment. 



Charles D. Snyder 

 Johns Hopkins University 

 Medical School, 

 Baltimore, Md., 

 November 10, 1908 



AN ECONOMICAL INSECT BOX 



The price of cork-lined insect boxes has 

 always seemed to me to be unnecessarily high. 

 As listed in the dealers' catalogues these 

 glass-covered boxes cost from one to three 

 dollars each, according to the size and finish. 



It may be of interest to some of the readers 

 of Science to know that a very satisfactory 

 box may be obtained at about one third of 

 the above price. 



While corresponding, recently, with the 

 Jesse Jones Paper Box Co., of Philadelphia, in 

 regard to cardboard museum trays, I asked if 

 they could furnish me with insect cases. The 

 box that they finally made at my suggestion is 

 extremely neat, and will, I believe, prove quite 

 as durable as the wooden boxes that are now 

 sold by the regular dealers in entomological 

 supplies. 



The boxes could, of course, be made of any 

 size, but the ones I have are of the larger size, 

 14X22X2J inches. They are made of 

 heavy " stock board," which is a very stiff 

 pasteboard about one eighth of an inch in 

 thickness. They are covered outside with 

 black book-cloth, which has a very attractive 

 appearance and does not scratch as does a 

 polished wooden surface. The lid is hinged, 

 and is of glass; it fits closely over a three- 

 fourth inch shoulder. The inside of the box 

 is lined with white glazed paper. 



Instead of the expensive sheet cork, the 

 bottom of the box is lined with corrugated 



paper, such as is used for wrapping glassware. 

 This corrugated paper receives the pins almost 

 as well as does cork, and costs nothing. It 

 may either be put into the box before the 

 glazed paper lining is introduced, probably the 

 better way, or it may be covered with the 

 glazed paper and fastened in with pins or 

 glue, so that it may be removed and recovered 

 when it becomes filled with pin holes. Being 

 covered with white paper, this corrugated 

 paper bottom looks as well as any other. 



The only defect of the box is that the lid 

 is not pest-proof. This defect may easily be 

 remedied, when the box is filled, by sealing 

 the lid with a strip of black passe-partout 

 cloth, which will just match the book-cloth 

 covering; the box will thus be made absolutely 

 pest-proof, and there will be no danger of open 

 cracks such as sometimes appear in wooden 

 boxes on drying. 



If it be necessary to keep the box unsealed, 

 a moth-ball in each corner will keep out the 

 few pests that might work their way under 

 the lid. 



Albert M. Eeese 



Zoological Labobatoky, 

 West Virginia University 



lights attracting insects 

 To THE Editor of Science : I should like to 

 inquire through the columns of ScrENCE 

 whether any of your readers have had an op- 

 portunity of observing the relative efficiency 

 of mercury vapor lights, flaming arc lights 

 using sodium carbons, and ordinary arc lights 

 in attracting insects, especially moths. My 

 experience has led me to believe that an ordi- 

 nary arc light is a very much stronger at- 

 traction to moths than an incandescent light 

 with a carbon filament, even allowing for dif- 

 ferences in candle power. It therefore oc- 

 curred to me that it might be the rays in the 

 blue end of the spectrum which attracted 

 them most. Inside a room moths will always 

 leave a sixteen-candle power incandescent 

 light or a series of them to go to the window 

 as soon as there is any daylight. In the even- 

 ing they will go to the windows at the ap- 

 proach of twilight and will not leave them for 

 incandescent lights in the room until it is 



