CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN ENTOMOLOGY. 

 Conducted under the auspices of the Agassiz Association. 



Lesson I. 

 THE OUTFIT. 



Beginners must have a net, forceps, cyanide bottle and entomological pins. 



PRICE LISTS OF SUPPLIES. 



Write for free price lists of entomological supplies to Ward's Natural 

 Science Establishment, Nos. 84-102 College Ave., Rochester, N. Y. ; The 

 Kny-Scheerer Co., Nos. 404-410 27th St., New York City; Bausch & Lomb 

 Optical Co., No. 154 Sutter St., San Francisco, California; Denton Brothers, 

 Denton Road,, Wellesley, Mass. The catalogues and price lists which you 

 receive will give you a liberal education as to what may be included in an 

 outfit. There is scarcely any limit to the expense one may indulge in, but the 

 beginner is urged to buy as little as possible at the outset. 



THE NET. 



A loop of No. 9 wire attached to a bamboo rod four or five feet long 

 answers every purpose. The wire need not be No. 9, nor the handle bamboo, 

 nor is the length particular. Use such material as you can obtain. The 

 diameter of the loop should be about twelve inches. The net should be 

 about eighteen or twenty inches long and the bottom of the net should be curved 

 like the letter U. Nets sold by the supply houses for one dollar and upwards 

 will allow each one to suit his taste and purse, if one desires to purchase, but 

 while I have samples of nearly all their nets, my favorite one was made at 

 home. 



The only difficulty consists in attaching the ends of the wires to the 

 handle. One method is by sharpening the ends and driving them into the 

 handle, another by having a tin-smith fit a tin or brass socket over the end of 

 the handle and solder the wires firmly into the socket. The net which I 

 have called my favorite has a hard wood handle made from a whip-stock. 

 The ends of the light steel wire, which was used as a barrel-hoop originally, 

 are driven tightly in a hole bored in the end of the handle, and the loop is 

 held firmly in place by strips of electrician's tape neatly attached to the wire 

 and handle. 



The net itself can be made of any gauzy material such as bobinet, silk 

 veiling, bolting cloth or Bruxelles. Swiss or mosquito bar will answer, but the 

 starch must be first washed out, and they are rather easily torn. 



The folding or collapsible nets with jointed handles which the supply 

 houses advertise are especially desirable in traveling, for they may be carried in 

 a suit case. 



If you make your own net i; is well to reinforce the part which passes 

 over the wire with a binding of strong muslin, say an inch in width, which 

 should be firmly stitched to the netting. You may let the muslin form the 

 loop around the wire if you prefer. 



Regarding the length of the handle, it may be as long or a trifle lons r er 

 than an ordinary walking stick, or il may be six feet long. The longer the 

 handle the more practice is required to use it properly, but in experienced 

 hands it has a wider, more desirable sweep. A net should be light, strong and 

 serviceable. 



