68 
HOW TO COLLECT 
said to settle not infrequently on human beings who enter its 
haunts. 
11 Muscidce Accdypteratce are to be taken as a rule 
by sweeping, though a few Ortalidce, Micropezidce, 
Trypetidce, etc., may be captured on leaves and flowers, 
tryprta cojrnuta. as well as on carrion and ordure. 
" Other Families. — As regards other families, many of them will be 
met with while seeking for those already mentioned ; and though the 
habits, etc., of the remainder are as varied as in the case of the latter, 
still the specimens encountered fortuitously will probably mount up 
to a considerable number." 
Method or Collecting. 
If possible, Diptera should always be brought home alive in the 
glass-bottomed pill-boxes (to which they are to be transferred on 
being captured in the net), and should then be killed in the cyanide- 
bottle or jar immediately before being pinned. As soon as a fly is 
taken in the net by a dexterous sweep, a sharp turn of the wrist 
must be given (following a smart downward or lateral stroke in 
order to bring the fly to the end of the net), in such a way that the 
end of the net containing the insect falls over the rim and so makes 
a closed bag from which it cannot escape. The end of the net can 
then be gathered up in the hand, and the fly forced into a still 
smaller space, in which it will not be difficult to get it into a pill-box, 
and then to slip on the lid. If the specimens are small, it is possible 
with care to get several into one pill- box. Flies may also be trans- 
ferred direct from the net to the killing- bottle, and so brought home 
dead ; but this method is not to be recommended, since prolonged 
exposure to the effects of cyanide of potassium is apt to injure the 
specimens, the ultimate condition of which, when so treated, is rarely 
as satisfactory as if they had been brought home alive in pill-boxes. 
If, however, it is necessary for any reason to dispense with pill-boxes, 
and to use the killing-bottle in the open, a little crumpled tissue- 
paper should be placed inside it; this affords a lodgment for the 
specimens, and so lessens the risk of their being injured by rolling 
