COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF INSECTS 



Figure 1. — The construction of a beating net: A, Steel wire loop 15 inches in 

 diameter ; B, end of net handle showing grooves and holes into which the arms 

 of the wire loop fit ; C, net handle with metal ferrule to hold net in place ; 

 D, how to cut a single piece of cloth to make a round-bottom bag ; E, details of 

 top part of net fitted over a section of the wire loop. 



the insect net, but the size and shape of the net and the material used 

 will depend upon the purpose for which it is intended. 



The beating net must be strong enough to stand rough use. A handle 

 of straight-grain hickory or ash, such as a hoe handle, is recommended. 

 This should be fitted at one end with a metal ferrule (fig. 1, C) about 

 an inch in diameter to hold the wire loop in place. The grooves in 

 the handle should be made exactly as long as the straight arms of the 

 net loop, so that the tips of the arms, bent at right angles, will fit into 

 the holes bored in the handle at the end of the grooves. The rest of 

 the handle should be about 1% inches in diameter and 3^ to 4^2 feet 

 long. 



The wire loop (fig. 1, A) should be of steel wire which will spring 

 back in shape if bent. For the beating net No. 12 steel wire (0.189 

 inch in diameter) is satisfactory, although even heavier wire is some- 

 times preferred. After the loop is shaped it is usually desirable to 

 have it tempered and, if this can be done at a factory or shop where 

 steel springs are made, a most satisfactory net loop will result. 



For the bag for the beating net, 6-ounce drill, heavy muslin, or 

 light canvas is recommended. Figure 1, Z>, illustrates how a bag to 

 fit a loop 15 inches in diameter may be made from a single piece of 

 material. The four lobes, cut as segments of a circle, form the rounded 

 bottom of the bag when sewed together. The slit at the top, which 

 should be cut and hemmed as indicated before the top of the bag is 

 folded over, permits the completed bag to be slipped onto the wire 

 loop. The top margin of the material should then be folded down 

 to the bottom dotted line and sewed in place; then this double thick- 



