The Microscope. 199 



Those that are visible to the eye may be easily procured by 

 the aid of a small landing-net made with stout wire and book mus- 

 lin: bend one end of the wire into a circle and secure it by twist- 

 ing; the other end will serve for a handle by which it can be at- 

 tached to a stick; when used, suffer the water to drain away, 

 then reverse the instrument, touching the water (into which the 

 insects are to be transferred) with the muslin, by which means 

 they can be so transferred without injuiy by handling; a smaller 

 instrument (about one and a half inch diameter) will be found 

 very serviceable, upon the same plan in fishing out the insects; 

 when about to be exhibited, put some clear water in a watch- 

 glass, and reverse the net with the insects into it; any one of 

 them singly may be taken out by means of the small spoon or 

 brush for examination. 



Beetles, Moths, ^c. Numbers of these may be found by 

 attentively examining the hedges in lanes; almost upon every leaf 

 you may discover some minute hving creature. On the grass, a 

 great variety of the beetle tribe may be procured, under stone, in 

 old trunks of trees; in the bark among the heaths and mosses, and 

 in sand-pits ; and a great variety of wings and other parts of in- 

 sects may be found on the webs of the field spiders, most beauti- 

 fully dissected for the microscope, in a way that could not be 

 done by any other means. Insects of the beetle class are found 

 in the greatest abundance upon heath. Mosses and vegetation 

 on old walls, contain many rare and curious microscopic insects; 

 a quantity of this moss should be procured, put into boxes, and 

 afterwards carefully shaken over a sheet of white paper. 



Apparatus for collecting objects. These are simply 

 as follows: — A net of wire gauze for taking insects on the wing. 

 It may be held also expanded under a tree or bush, whilst the 

 branches are beaten with a stout stick, which will cause a num- 

 ber of curious insects to fall into it. 



A Landing-Net, for aquatic insects. — A Knife, for extracting 

 •objects from the root of trees, bark, ^c. 



A Strong Phial, corked, with a quill passing through it, for wa- 

 ter insects. 



A Tin Box, the cover pierced with small holes. 



A few Chip Boxes. 



Directions for dissecting objects. In dissecting mi- 

 nute insects, as the flea, louse, ^^c, in order to examine their in- 

 ternal structure, it is necessary to observe great care: they should 

 be placed in a drop of water and examined instantly, or the parts 



