66 
THE NATURALISTS’ JOURNAL. 
a small portion should be dissolved in water to the consistency 
of a jelly, experience will alone teach the requisite thickness; 
many collectors set their beetles in gum arabac as they are easier 
to set in this gum, afterwards floating them off in water and re¬ 
mounting them in tragacanth as mentioned before, as this gum, 
is transparent, and leaves no stain on the cards. Gum arabac is 
best made as follows :—Arabac, one ounce ; loaf sugar, half an 
ounce ; water, two ounces. The gum takes a day or two to dis¬ 
solve in water. I should strongly recommend this gum to all 
beginners, as well as to older collectors if they have not tried it 
as it renders setting very much easier, and many species of 
Rhyncophora (weevils), etc., which could not be set with traga¬ 
canth can be easily set with this gum. A few collecting bottles 
and small tubes or phials are the next things which will be 
required, the former are made as follows :—Procure a few wide¬ 
mouthed bottles about three or four ounces each with tight fitting 
corks, next, procure a few glass tubes about two inches long, and 
about a third of an inch in diameter ; a hole must be bored 
through the cork, so that the tube can be placed through it, so 
that it fits firmly and leaving about half an inch of tube above 
the cork, the beetles can then be dropped through the tube with¬ 
out removing the cork, a small cork should be fitted in the tube. 
The student should alwavs carry a laurel bottle with him when 
out on his collecting expiditions for the purpose of killing at 
once the large and predaceous species such as the Cicindelidce 
(Tiger beetles), Carabidce (Ground beetles), etc., in fact all the 
larger species should be dropped into the laurel jar, otherwise 
they would make a meal of the smaller and more delicate species ; 
this is easily made by using a bottle as described above contain¬ 
ing; a small muslin bag of well bruised voung laurel leaves if 
the shoots can be obtained, so much the better, as these will be 
stronger. The laurel should be changed every few days as it 
soon loses its strength. It should also be remembered that 
insects killed in the laurel bottle should be left in for at least 
twenty-four hours as they will then be in a good condition for 
setting. If taken out before that time they will be found to be 
very rigid and by no means easy to set. Of course it must be 
remembered that no small and delicate species should be placed 
in the laurel jar as these would drop to pieces if left for a few 
hours in the laurel, this is especially the case with most of the 
Brachelytra. The four most useful articles for out-door collect¬ 
ing are :—a sweep net, a large and strong pocket knife, a chisel, 
and a trowel, all very inexpensive articles. The first of these 
can either be purchased from a dealer or the frame can be made 
by a blacksmith for a small sum. The ring should be of iron, a 
quarter to a third of an inch in diameter and from four to five 
feet in circumference. It should be made to fit on an ordinary 
walking stick with an ordinary screw or a Y shaped piece to fit 
