Collecting and Preserving Insects 



Fig. 263. — Points for 

 mounting insects. 

 (After Riley.) 



the actual locality should be entered upon the label, and, if the 

 locality is such that there is some doubt that the elevation can 

 in future be ascertained with ease, the elevation should be also 

 placed upon the label. The name of the collector should be stuck 

 on the same pin, and the name of the in- 

 sect upon another label on the same pin. 

 That will make three labels, one with the 

 name, one for the collector, and one for the 

 exact locality and date. All labels should 

 be as small as possible, and should be 

 printed in diamond type. After the labelling is done the speci- 

 mens are ready. for the cabinet. 



The Cabinet. — In the matter of a cabinet there is consider- 

 able room for the judgment of a collector. The so-called Schmidt 

 insect box is an excellent box for a more or less temporary col- 

 lection, and, in fact, there are many specimens in the museums 

 which have been preserved in these boxes for many years. 

 They are of small and convenient size, book form, cork-lined, 

 tightly constructed, and close very tightly. An insect cabinet 



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Fig. 264. — The Marx tray for alcohol specimens. (After Riley.) 



with sliding drawers, glass-covered, can be made by any good 

 carpenter, but great care should be taken to make the joints of 

 the drawers absolutely air-tight. When a collection becomes 

 infested with museum pests or mites or Psocids, it can easily be 

 disinfected by pouring into the box bisulphide of carbon. Great 

 care must be used in the handling of this substance, however, as 

 it is inflammable. After the drawer has become disinfected, a 

 teaspoonful, more or less, of naphthaline will act as a deterrent 

 against the entrance of other insect pests. For soft-bodied 

 insects which must be kept in liquid, either alcohol or formalin, 

 a permanent arrangement is a very difficult matter. A vial-tray 

 in use by some collectors is a good idea. The one invented and 



403 



