HOW TO COLLECT AND PRESERVE INSECTS 19 



FIELD NOTES AND LABELS 



It is only by the merest chance that the beginner gets a new or 

 even a rare species on ground that has been worked over by experienced 

 collectors, but even the primaiy class in entomology may add to our 

 store of knowledge if it keeps field notes well. Date of capture and 

 locality are considered of prime importance. They should always be 

 known and kept with every specimen, but the distribution and time 

 of appearance of our common species are known. It is of their 

 habits that we are ignorant. What do they feed on? Under what 

 conditions are they to be found when young and when old, day and 

 night, winter and summer? What do they do and how do they do it? 

 A sample field card is shown in Fig. 10. The "Remarks" 

 ^"^"•fsa are really the important part. In using this card the lower 

 Tnklt!^! right-hand number is torn off (after filHng out the card in the 

 Tuw'-jjo. field) and kept with the specimens to which the card refers 

 '^^''"li until thej^ are individually labeled. This is the card used in 

 T,Mu^\ the American Museum. The stub is kept by the collector 



1911 '^ 



"^^"■^n and the card is filed at the Museum. Such a refinement of 

 l^^Io system is not necessary in most cases, but some system is im- 

 perative if your collection is to be worth while. 



The pin label should be small but legible. Certain firms 

 make a business of printing these labels from small type, or 

 the collector can make up a sheet by means of an ordinary 

 typewriter (black ink is best) and have a block made from 

 this greatly reduced in size. From this block any number of 

 impressions can be made. Any printer will attend to the 

 ^""F-u whole business. Figure 11 shows sample strips. If dates are 

 not printed they should be filled in before cutting the labels 

 apart. Field mmibers can be written on the back of these 

 Fig. 11. labels or put on a separate label. The collector's name can 

 also be put on a separate label. Similar labels should be the 

 same height on the pin throughout the collection. This is easily ac- 

 comphshed by sticking the pin first through the label then into a hole 

 of given depth or cork of a given thickness, thus pushing the labels 

 up to a uniform height. 



STORAGE BOXES AND CARE OF COLLECTION 



Since certain members of a family of beetles (Dermestidse) are 

 given to eating dried insects, the storage boxes should have tight- 

 fitting Hds. Except for that ahnost anything wdll do. Cigar boxes 



Wuxo'.p.a. 



MchS'll 

 HunaliP.R. 



Mch 6 • 14 

 ManstiP.R. 



Mch 5 ■ U 

 MaaatiP.R. 



Moh 5 • U 

 UanntiP.K. 



Mch 5'U 

 ManMiP.R. 



Mch 6'U 

 HaMt'iP.R. 



_ n.tlP.R, 

 Mch 5 ' U 



MknatiP.R. 

 Mch 5 • 14 



M.naliP.R. 

 Mch 5 'U 



