W& Hi 



gripe of the left hand ; this confines your fly from struggling. Put then your hand 

 against the fly on one side, and bringing the top of your fore-finger on his body, and 

 with your thumb on the other, squeeze him gently ; then lay your nets on the ground 

 and take out your fly by an antenna or a leg, and holding him in an advantageous 

 manner by the body in your left hand, run a pin through the thick part of the body 

 or chest, perpendicularly, and put it in your box. 



When you pursue a fly, you must catch it when in your reach, in the same 

 manner, except its course is along a ditch, on the left-hand side of you, and then you 

 will not be able to touch it, the position being very awkward ; in this case you must 

 overtake it, and turning nimbly about, the position will then be as in the first case ; 

 the fly then being to the right side of you. Having given you sufficient instruc- 

 tions for the use of the batfolder, I shall next proceed to the racket nets — 



Which are formed of wire, about the thickness of a raven's quill, turned round to 

 a circle, bending the ends outwards by way of shanks, which are made fast in a brass 

 socket; this circle or ring of wire is covered with gauze, and bound round with ferret; 

 a round stick of about two feet in length is fitted to this socket, by way of handle. 

 This sort of net is what an Aurelian should at all times carry about with him ; a pair 

 of these, of about six inches diameter, is the most convenient for that purpose. The 

 chief use of these nets is for catching moths sitting against a tree, wall, or pales ; or a 

 moth or fly sitting on a leaf, may be conveniently caught between a pair of these. 



The scissors net are no more than a small pair of these racket nets, fixed on two 

 pieces of iron, which are rivetted across each other, with two of the ends turned round 

 in the form of rings, for the admittance of the thumb and finger; in short, a pair of 

 toupee irons, or curling tongs, such as is used by a hair-dresser, are very well adapted 

 for this purpose, with a round net fixed to the end of each tang with binding wire, or 

 small twine well waxed ; these nets are principally adapted to take small moths, &c. 



I shall in the next and last place proceed to inform the reader what apparatus is 

 necessary when he goes out to the field in pursuit of insects, and the method by which 

 they are extended, or set, and preserved when brought home, and that he may not 

 be inconveniently loaded with more things than are necessary: he should consider his 

 principal pursuit before he sets out ; if his intention is to spend a summer's morning 

 in some delightful woods where he may expect to find plenty of flies, he need take 

 no other net with him than the batfolding net, one of the sticks of which may be used 

 as a walking-stick, and the other may be made to divide into halves, or put together 

 at pleasure by a brass socket in the middle, and carried conveniently with the benders 

 in a canvas bag under his coat ; it will be proper to take two large chip or Dutch 

 boxes, cut down pretty flat, and lined withinside top and bottom with cork, of about 

 a quarter of an inch or somewhat less in thickness, which should be pasted over with 

 white paper ; besides those he should be provided with another smaller box for cater- 

 pillars, in case such should fall in his way ; in the lid of which should be cut a hole, 

 as large as will admit your thumb to go in easily ; this must be stopt with a cork, 

 close fitted, so that small caterpillars may not get out ; together with these he must 

 take with him a pincushion, well supplied with pins of different sizes, for the different 

 sizes of insects which may be taken ; and be careful not to stick a small fly or moth 

 with too large a pin, which will certainly destroy it by putting the joints of the wings 



