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Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



journals, or the beginner can make them himself at trifling 

 expense. When the insect is captured it should be quickly 

 killed. The best material for this purpose is cyanide of 

 potassium. To prepare a bottle for Coleoptera, Hemiptera, 

 etc., cut some strips of soft paper, crumple, and place them 

 in bottle loosely ; on top of this, place several bits of cyanide 

 wrapped in paper ; cork up tightly with rubber stopper. 

 After each day's collecting, the paper should be taken out 

 and dried, if damp, or renewed, so as to keep the bottle as 

 dry and clean as possible. The specimens should not be 

 allowed to remain longer in the bottle than is required to kill 

 them. To prepare a jar to kill Lepidoptera, use a candy-jar 

 with wide mouth, and in the bottom of this lay a few lumps 

 of fused cyanide, over which pour plaster of paris, mixed 

 thick with water, to cover the cyanide about one- quarter inch 

 deep. Cork up tight. Several bottles of different sizes should 

 always be carried on a collecting trip. Glue a strip of muslin 

 around outside of jar to prevent breakage, as the swelling of 

 the plaster frequently cracks the glass. Do not pin the 

 smaller Coleoptera or Hemiptera. Cut small card-board tri- 

 angles, five-sixteenths of an inch long, run the pin through 

 the larger end and mount the insect, with glue, on the tip, 

 always placing the insect on the left side of the pin. In other 

 words, when the pin is stuck in bit of cork in front of you, 

 the triangle should point to the left, and the head of the insect 

 point away from you. Pin the larger beetle through the right 

 elytron or wing cover, near base. Pin so the forward part oi 

 insect will be slightly raised. Pin Hemiptera through the 

 scutellum. Other insects through the thorax. Always fold 

 the legs under the body to prevent the liability of breakage. 

 Do not spread the legs, as is sometimes recommended, unless 

 characters are to be shown by doing so. In Coleoptera I bend 

 the antennae back along the body to prevent them from being 

 broken. I have used the following glues for mounting insects 

 or gluing duplicates to card board : One-quarter ounce of 

 gum arabic, one-eighth ounce gum tragacanth, dissolve in hot 

 water, and to this add one-half teaspoonful of glycerine and 

 four drops of carbolic acid. This glue should be of the con- 

 sistency of cream. Or dissolve bleached shellac in alcohol to 

 the consistency of thick cream. This glue sets quiekl} 7 , but 



