Collecting and Preserving Insects 



The Sweeping or Beating Net. — Very many insects feed or 



rest upon grasses and low plants, and the beating net, which is 



made on the same principle as the butterfly net, is a most useful 



instrument with which to collect 



these forms. It should have a 



strong frame and the cloth of 



which it is composed should be 



light in color and strong like 



cheese cloth. The beating net 



is not necessarily pointed but 



may be rounded at the bottom. 



The collector passes the net 



several times quickly over the 



low shrubbery or grass and then 



sits down to examine his cap- 

 tures and remove them to the 



cyanide bottle. The ring of the 



beating net should be especially 



strong, either of brass or iron and 



of one or two pieces and should 



be fastened rigidly to the handle 



either by means of a special 



device, by clamps, nuts and 



screws, or by copper wire as 



above mentioned. The reason for this special strength is that 



sometimes it is desirable to sweep tough bushes or the low 



branches of trees. 



The Water Net. — The water net may be a simple sag net 

 with a short handle, the frame being oblong 

 and the net or bag being of some very coarse 

 material like grass cloth or millinet. A sieve 

 net with sides of galvanized iron and bottom 

 of galvanized wire screen is desirable where 

 one is scraping up mud and sand from the 

 bottom of pools for the purpose of sifting out 

 aquatic insects. 



The Sieve. — A sieve with cloth sides is 



an excellent bit of apparatus for sifting out earth, moss, 



materials of ants nests, etc., the size of the wire meshes 



at the bottom being larger when it is desired to sift the 



391 



Fig. 251. — A good hand net. 



Fig. 252.— Small 

 water dip net. 

 (After Riley.) 



