324 Instructions for collecting and preserving [July, 



IX. Instructions for collecting and preserving Coleopterous Insects. 



Under the name of Coteoptera are designated all insects with hard wings, such as 

 cockchafers, beetles of various kinds — Curculio, Melolontha, Copris, Lucanus 

 Cervus, Scarabacus, Necrophagi, &c. They are found every where on flowers and 

 leaves, under stones, the bark of trees, moss, and fallen leaves, in rotten wood, old 

 mushrooms, in stagnant water, and among decomposing animal and vegetable 



matter. 



Some interesting species live about the roots of plants, which must be extract- 

 ed to get at them. 



Places where trees have been cut down, should be explored, especially under the 

 loos, and* in the sun, upon the exterior of the timber. 



Many insects, in hot climates, hide themselves during the day in the ground, 

 which should be dug up round insulated trees to the depth of a few inches : — the 

 same kind of search should be made along the foundations of walls, &c. The detritus 

 left alon°- the bank of a river, or the sea shore, by retiring water, should be exami- 

 ned. A good number of rare Carabi are found on the banks of ponds, — buried in 

 the sand, or concealed under the pebbles of a dry brook. The puddles formed by 

 heavy rain, must by no means be neglected : they abound in interesting insects. 



Besides the mode pointed out above, there are various others for collecting quick- 

 ly a number of insects which live upon plants : thus holding a parasol or a hand- 

 kerchief under a bush or a branch, and shaking the latter affords a ready method 

 of getting at many curious insects : or a light bag, fitted to a hoop and handle, may 

 be moved rapidly about the extremity of branches while shaken, and the Coteoptera 

 will be entangled therein and easily made prisoners. 



The Necrophagi are not often found in hot climates, where their place is 

 supplied by ants. The way to procure them is to place wide-mouthed bottles, 

 baited with pieces of flesh, out of the reach of ants, that is, hung up in the air, or 

 insulated by being placed in a vessel of water. The smell of the meat will attract 

 the insects. 



Nocturnal Coteoptera are very rare in collections. To take them, a cloth should 

 be spread towards night in the neighbourhood of a flower bed, and a couple of 

 lamps placed on it : the insects settle upon the cloth where they must be made 

 captive without loss of time. Searching plants in the night is also very productive. 



Coteoptera should be pinned always through the right wing, proportioning the pin 

 to the size of the insect, and taking care not to injure the feet and antennae. 



To save time during the chase, small insects may be put in a bottle, and pinned 

 on return. They do not injure themselves, if a little moss or paper is introduced 

 for them to hold by. In hot climates, the best time for the chase is, the morning 

 or the evening. Nevertheless every moment of the day abounds with new species, and 

 a zealous collector will vary the time of his visits abroad. There is no occasion to 

 make long walks : it is better to explore thoroughly a circumscribed space, more 

 especially if a rare individual has been discovered, because it is probable that 

 another may be found in the same locality : there are generally many together. 



Besides the travelling box, the collector should have a number of larger boxes for 

 the preservation of his specimens. The)' should be three inches deep, and the bot- 

 tom covered with a stratum of cork. In intertropical countries the cork may 

 be replaced by sola, or by various spongy woods. 



