Instructions for collecting Insects. 
51 
Pins, corked boxes, forceps (curved and fine), brushes, gum, card, 
found punch, pocket-lens, fine-pointed scissors. 
Naphthaline in flakes, carbolic acid, chloroform, spirit. 
Nets of at least two kinds are necessary for general collecting : 
an umbrella-net for beating, sweeping, etc. ; and a cane-net for 
catching insects on the wing. It is, however, desirable to have a 
large kite-net for catching butterflies, and a strong iron ring-net 
for water insects. 
Pill-boxes of all sorts are useful, and common chip-boxes are very 
handy; but it is especially desirable to have as many glass-bottom 
boxes as practicable.* 
Cyanide Killing-bottle. —This should be a wide-mouthed bottle. At 
* These boxes can be obtained from Messrs. Crockett, 7A, Princes Street, 
Cavendish Square, London, W., or Messrs. Watkins & Doncaster, 36, Strand, 
London, W.C. ; but care should be taken to see that the bottoms —and 
not the tops, as is often the case—are made of glass. Since the boxes 
are constructed of cardboard, they are liable in tropical countries to go to 
pieces in the rains; and to prevent this they should be covered with jaconet 
in the following manner, the important point to remember being that the 
jaconet must be cut in strips on the cross :—Obtain, say, a square yard of the 
material, and fold it into a triangle by bringing two opposite corners together. 
Consider how wide the strips must be, according to the varying depths of the 
boxes to be covered, and rule them off in pencil by drawing lines parallel to the 
base of the triangle. Cut up the strips, or if possible get them cut by a book¬ 
binder’s machine. Paint the box over with liquid glue, and wrap the jaconet 
round it: it is particularly important that the edges of the glass and lid should 
be well protected ; and it will be found that by gently pulling the jaconet it 
will wrap itself round these without difficulty. When quite dry, say the 
following day, the box should be given a coat of Aspinall’s enamel, or of paint, 
a second (and if necessary a third) coat of paint being added after the first is 
dry. Any paint or glue on the glass can be removed with a penknife ; if the 
jaconet protrudes too far over the glass, cut it round with a penknife and 
remove it. (Glass-bottomed boxes already protected in this manner can be 
obtained from Miss E. M. Bowdler Sharpe, 4, Barrowgate Road, Chiswick, 
London, W.) 
A simpler method of protecting the boxes is to coat them (especially the 
joints) with sheila ", dissolved in absolute alcohol. 
Glass-bottomed boxes of this kind constructed of tin are sometimes sold ; but 
since when in use in warm climates they are apt to become very hot, with 
the result that insects contained in them are killed and become dry pre¬ 
maturely, those covered with jaconet are preferable. 
