1832.] Coleopterous Insects. 325 



One box should be devoted to large Coleoptera, to avoid the injury their 

 weight would cause to the smaller species if they should get loose in travelling. 



Insects should not be put in the magazine boxes until they are dead ; they may 

 then be put as close as possible to save space. 



When the feet or antennze prevent the specimens from being closed up, they 

 should be placed for a time in a humid atmosphere, in a covered saucepan with 

 a few drops of warm water, or in moistened sand : — the limbs will then become 

 relaxed, and may be easily brought close to the body, where they must be 

 held by pins until they have dried in the proper attitude. 



For preserving Coleoptera, pinning is decidedly the best method, it is only large 

 black hard insects that can be preserved in spirits : cotton, sand, sawdust, &c. are 

 of no use whatever. 



If a rare insect loses a leg or antenna, it should be carefully wrapped in paper, 

 and pinned by the side of the mutilated animal. It is useless to collect grass- 

 hoppers, flies, spiders, or bugs. These insects are very difficult of preservation, 

 often too very large, and therefore only encumber the boxes uselessly. 



When a box is sufficiently full of Coleoptera firmly fixed with pins, according 

 to the foregoing directions, it should be accurately closed by pasting paper over 

 all the joints, so as to prevent moisture, dust, or other insects from penetrating. 



The above directions are translated from a paper transmitted to the Asia- 

 tic Society by a zealous French entomologist, Mons. Petit de la Saussaye, chef du 

 bureau des travaux au Ministere de la Marine, at Paris, who was desirous of ob- 

 taining specimens of the Coleopterous insects from India, and who handsomely 

 offered in return, duplicates from his own extensive cabinet. The following ex- 

 tract from M. Petit's letter to the Secretary As. Soc. read on the 4th Jan. may 

 tempt some of our correspondents to comply with his request. 



" Amateur zele" de l'etude de l'entomologie, je possede une des collections de 

 Paris les plus riches en coleopteres, famille dont je m'occupe principalement. 



Les relations que j'ai avec plusieurs parties de l'Afrique et de l'Am£rique me 

 donnentles moyens de faire des ^changes avec les musses Strangers, et j'ai ose" es- 

 percr que vous voudriez bien m'admettre au nombre des personnes qui correspon- 

 dent de cette maniere, avec le celebre titablissement que vous dirigez. 



L'avantage que je puis vous offrir consisteroit moins dans la vari^te des especes 

 que je vous adresserai, que dans l'exactitude de la classification. Ma collection est 

 nomm^e d'apres le systeme adopte" par M. le Compte Dejean, dont lesouvrages sur 

 les coleopteres sont connus de tous les entomologistes, et les envois que je fais sont 

 classes avec le plus grand soin, ce qui facilite beaucoup a mes correspondants 

 l'arrangement et l'etude des insectes. 



De votre cote, Monsieur, il vous seroit bien facile d'enrichir ma collection, car 

 je n'ai presque rien des belles contr^es soumises a vos explorations, et les especes 

 tuoinsrares auraient deja pour moi le nitrite de la nouveauteV' 



Collections or letters to M. Petit may be addressed under cover a Mr. le Minis- 

 tre de la Marine, a Paris. 



