iiU 
MOUNTING 
Qynipids should be mounted on their left sides on points with the dorsal side 
away from the pin. Points should be short enough so that a 2/5 objective can be 
focused down on the face if necessary. If Duoo is used instead if shellac, the 
specimen can be removed clean in Anyl acetate and remounted if that ever becomes 
necessary. It saves time if the insect is oriented on table on its right side, 
head toward one, then the point, held in forceps, is touched to medium and then 
to insect. After it sets the point is pinned. Labels should include locality, 
date, host and an identifying field-note number. Labels can be written by hand 
in waterproof ink or printed from small hand-set type on a heavy rag paper with 
enough bearing on the pin so that it will not wobble about. Or a typed page of 
names of oaks can be reduced by photography to a width of about 65 mm. This gives 
an individual label about 8-10 mm. long. ^ ™ 
A typed page of localities can be similarly §«.«.-j»« 
reduced leaving only the date to be filled in with a pen. Prints from these 
negatives should be made on double-weight glossy paper. The bodies of some 
large pubeaoent forma, especially speciea of Disholcaapis, contain much fat which 
in time breaks down into glycerine which wets the hairs and obscures the sculpt¬ 
ure. Before mounting auoh kinds should be degreased in ether. 
Cynipid galls have so many guests and parasites that one should gather a large 
quantity of each kind to be sure of rearing the maker. A single gall, oasually 
collected, is seldom worth the trouble of placing in rearing. It may be the 
normal reaotion of the plant to the stimulus of the cynipid maker or it may be 
quite abnormal if that structure has been modified during its development by the 
attacks of guests and parasites. Here field experience helps. If the thing 
occurs in numbers, on different trees in different localities it is probably a 
normal gall. Collecting of value requires definite search for quantities of 
material with the objeot of rearing in view. In the field one can not hope to 
keep each kind separate. It is better to have a receptacle for the galls from 
each kind of oak liable to be seme in the looality and then sort them out to 
species for rearing at home. When gathering galls from the ground under a tree 
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