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This Hem Is f ilcnsd st ths rtduction rstio chseksd bslow / Cs document sst filmA su taux ds rMuetion indiquA ei-dssseus. lOx 14x 18x 22x 26x 30x y 12x 16x MX 2'tx 28x 32x Th« copy fllm»d h«r» hM b««n r«produc«d thanks to th« g«n«rosity of: Blacker-Mood Library of Biology NcCin University, Nontreal L'oxomplairo film4 fut roproduit grico i la ginAroait* da: Blacker-Wood Library of Biology McCni University, Montreal Tha imagas appaaring hara ara tfta bast quality poaaibia eenaidaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract apacificationa. Original capias in printed papar eovara ara fllmad beginning with tha front covar and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- sion, or tha back covar whan appropriate. All othar original copioa ara filmed beginning on the first paga with a printed or illuatratad impraa- aion, and anding on the laat paga with a printad or illuatratad impreaaion. Las images suivantas ont *ti raproduitas avac ta plus grand soin. eompto tenu de la condition at da la nanet« da raxemplaira film*, at an conformity avac las conditions du contrst da filmaga. Lea axemplairas originaux «iont la eouvortura an papier eat imprim^a sent filmis an commandant par la premier plat at en terminant soit par la darniire paga qui comporta uno emprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illustration. soit par la second plat, aalon to cas. Tous lea autras axemplairas originaux sent fiimAs an commandant par la premiere paga qui comporta une emprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration et en terminant par to darniire paga qui comporta une telle empreinte. The laat recorded frame on each microfiche shell contain the symbol — ^ (meening "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol ▼ (meening "END"), whichever appliaa. Un das symbolas suivonts spparaltra sur la darniire imege de cheque microfiche, talon la cas: la symbols -^> signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, cherts, etc.. mey be filmed et different reduction retios. Those too large to be entirely included in one expoaura are filmed beginning in rhe upper left hend comer, toft to right and to|i to bottom, as many framea as required. The following diegrama illuatrate the method: Lea cartaa. planches, tablaeux, etc.. pauvant itra filmte A dea taux da reduction diffArants. Lorsqua to document est trop grsnd pour Atro reproduit en un soul ciichA. il est filmA A partir da Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, at da haut en bas. an prenant la nombra d'imagea nAcassaire. Las diogrammas suivants illustrant la mAthoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 MKMCorv mounioN tut omit (ANSI and ISO TEST CHAKT No. 2) /APPLIED IM/1GE I 1653 tost Mtri 4 » IMrwIM SM0n«A7l DIRECTIONS FOR COLLECTING AND PRESERVING INSECTS ^ .T? T. H. McDUNNOUOH, Ph. D. /■ cXmif vf National ColUcUan tf ImtcU ■<^ CIRCULAR No. 12 Published b •• direction of the Hon. S. F. Tolmie, Minister of Agriculture Ottawa, Ontario 67910—1 OTTAWA J. Di LABROQUERIE TACH£, PRINTER TO THE KINO'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY UU Iwucd September 27, 1919. <\r» Uttawa, August 21, 1919. To The Honourable, The Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa. Sir, — I have the honour to submit for your approval. Entomological Circular No. 12, entitled " Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects,*' which has been prepared by J. H. McDunnough, M.A., Ph.D., in charge of the National Collection of Insects. We are in receipt of an increasing number of requests, particularly from teachers, for the information briefly set forth in this circular from all parts of Canada. It is very desirable that interest in entomology should be promoted and encouraged. Not only will the collection and study of insects provide both recreation and education, but it will also result in the extension of our knowledge of Canadian insects, and their distribution. From a practical standpoint it is important that there should be a wider knowledge of entomology, especially among the teachers in our schools, in order that .such knowledge may be applied to the control of those insects whose '^"oti uctive or annoying habits make their suppression necessary. I have the honour to be. Sir, Your obedient servant, C. GORDON HEWITT, Dominion Entomologist. 67910— li Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects. By J. H. McIHnnouoh, Ph.D.. In charge of National Collection of Insects. Introduction. The oliji'ct of thiii circular is to indicate as concihcly as powible some of the inoBt essential features in fnrection with the co"''-ting of insects. It is intended largely as a first aid tt. those anxious to learn the elementary principles of insect collecting in onler that hey may profitably occupy moments which might otherwise hang heavy on eir hands. It further aims to arouse an interest for intelligent collectmg among those who may be called by their voca- tions to the more inaccessible jwrtions of the c<»untry ; insect material from such localities is always of the utmost scientific value, but unfortunately this value may be greatly reducetl by impri>per melh is of collecting; insects, in the main, are very delicate creatures and unless the greatest ol care be obser>eossible limitation of the collecting to one or two groups or i insects and, al>ove all, on the ."nount of space available among the otht-j iS tiling equipment for collect.i.g utensils. Absolutely essential are (1) a n r. (2) several poison dottles of various sizes, (3) a pair of entomological forrep- -nd (4) receptacles in which to pack and ship the insects when killed. Net. — A Net (Fig may !«■ obtainetl from any reliable dealer in entomo- logical supplies for.' ni<>. '<>si'ti. '•* consj-its of a handle, generally two or three- jointed, a ring of htav\ 'h- st*t t, 12 •* 14 inches in diameter, also jointed for the sake of compactnt -» r " 'king, arid fitting by various devices to the end IP of the hanclle. and a ^ of fim- wliite tarlatan, hruxellc or Icno. about two feet deep. I he la«t mentioned mati>rial Khould Inr Hoaked in water over night before lieing made up m order to remove the HtifTnewi. InRenious pemons .)lten maPH- lartL-e their own nefi. but in Keneral the pun' .iited onet» prove more tat' fac- tory. l)n an extendi«l trip it i% wine to rarr\ at lfa»t two complete nets and M'veral extra baR!. in view of possible a«i dead'y, should be handled with great care. The bottles should all bear the label POISON. The methtxls of reparing the poison bottle vary; some co.i ctors. after covering the bottom of the bottle with cyanide broken into lumps the size of a small bean, pour into the bottle a liquid formed by mixing plaster of pans with water until a consistency of thick paint is obtain- «l. Thtu •hould cover the poiwm to the depth of about half an inch, die Ixjttlc being 'c lightK faj^ttticl to the hard upper »urface to prcvcii. injury to the »tptiiinens, anil the Imttli- i- ready for use. Many ii^c •aigh. / |xir<. ove- the sawdust to kitp it in place, Th. ^ ot pla.-,tti of p.irl u J" ""* '• '*'*"' '^*' P''^'«''"K '•«'*" the sawdust witti a disk of thick card- board oi Ml . he. t cork having a diameter slightly larger than the inside diameter of the iKitle; w dcsit the bottle is subjected to very severe shaking ti.e rontcnts are hdd irt nluce quite satisfactorily and the method has the additional advan- tage that, when the cyunidc has lost its efficiency, the contents of the bottle may l>c removed and fresh substituted without difficulty. The test-tulH- variety of poison »)ottle may be very quickly preparetl by dropping into the tulx: a few small lumps of cyanide, adding a pinch of -ilKhtly moistened sawdust to hasten the reaction, and wedging the whole firmly in place with a wad of cotton. A convenient hohlcr for six or more test tubes is made by stitching to a piece of cloth small fxicket eacn the width of a single tube but slightly less in height; when the tubes are placetl in the individual pockets the whole cloth may In- rolletl up and carried alwut freely without danuer of breakage. Mktijods ok Collkctim;. Insects may be collected almost an>'where and at any time but a knowledxc of the habits of the various groups is essential in order to secure the best results, (hving to the diversity of methods employed in collecting in the various orders It has .seemed ad- sable to treat some of the main orders separately, noting in each case certain of the principal methods. LefnJoptera. —This order consists of the butterflies and moths rnd contains The rubbed and ... spet mien not or'y cons' tutcs an eyesore in a collection but is of less value KJentifically than a tJerleit one. In general the life of a butterfly or moth is short, and after a few (lays on the wing specimens lose some of tlieir carlv beaul\-. The object of the collector should be to obtain freshly eimrfjed aual dates of appe.irance. Butterflies are day-fliers, appearing in greatest abundance on warm, sun- shiny days, between the hours of 1(( a.m. ;...d 2 p.m. : thev iii.i\- be captured with the net around flowers oi often at moist spots on the Krountj. It seldom pays to cha.se them any ilistance. tliey should rather be stalked; a dead specimen pinned to a bush will often ser\ e as .i -kcoy to others of its kind. When a lucky stroke of tiie net has securetl a specimen, a downw" I turn of the WT'st t'hwes the net by brinjjin the bag inst the ring: if a . ner of the net be now held up the insect wii nerally ..y into it and mav be secured by cari'fully inserting the {K)i.son bottk into the net and piacing it o\er the speci- men. The cork may be placed over the mouth of the bottle from the outside ol the net for a moment, until the flutterings cease, when the bottle can be withdrawn without danger of the insect escaping. Experienced collectors usu.'lly stun a butterfly while in the net by a sharp pinch on the underside of thi >o^'i''^' «"^« ^he collector Shs wITds fliJl% .''^Tll''*'"*''-'"^^^ '" "'°*t groups, notably motns wasps, Hies, etc., if the specimens are pinned while fresh. Entomological SrdU the'mosT ser •' n ^''^'''' "^ 'l^^ ^""'^'^y ^''^'"' the^formatiS o veroigris. the most serviceable sizes are Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive To nin snor! be'nn''t'■.?T'^K^'"''■'^^ considerable practice. In thl- first Xe, he "^fn must be no thicker than necessary to support the insect properly- the fordnc^f a large pin through a small insect frequently ruins it. In moths P^g 4 A the nin s inserted vertically through the centre of the thorax between the bales of fhe forewings. the specimen being held lightly between thumirand fo refinge at 12 least one-quarter of the pin should project above the thorax. Bees, flies, etc, are also pinned through the thorax a little to one side of the central lines, and beetles (Fig. 4, B) through the right wing case near the base. Collectors unused to pinning material should not attempt it in the field r.s they are apt to cause more damage to the specimens by doing so than if they had employed one of the simpler methods. Aylmer.Qvc. . 19 W.A.SHITH Fig. 4.— Methods of pinning instHt«:— (A) a moth, iB) i. -tie, (C) doLble mount, (D; rardboard point. (E) locality 1 .■!. In packing such specimens for shipment tiiey should be securely pinned as closely together as possible in a cigar box, the Iwttom of which is lined with } inch .sheet of compressed cork; date and locality of capture may be either fastened to each pin or written on the inside of the lid of the box. When shipping boxos of insects, packed according to any of the above methods, by mail or express, the box or boxes should be first wrapped in paper Str-Mt Fig. 5.— Cross section of a paekaite ready for fhipment. and securely tied. The package shculd then be either iml>edded in a generous layer of excelsior or sea-weed and the whole tighi'y wrapped in h>avy paper (Fig. 5) or, better still, packed into a larger box or carton with plenty of excelsior. The latter method is essential when shipping pinned specimens, which are much more liable to damage through rough handling than papered specimens. In any case, however, an ounce of prevention i? better than a pound of cure, and while over-care in packing will never harm the specimens, careless packing may often result in the partial or total destruction of much valuable material. ■18 Permanent Preservation of Insects. The followng section contains a few general hints on the permanent preser- vation of msects, which may prove of value to school teachers or to those desirous of formmg a private collection. Relaxing.— Insects dry out very rapidly and become hard and brittle so that if stored for any length of time by any of the methods mentioned in the previous section it will be '.ecessary to relax them before they can be further handled. This is done by placing them on moist sand under a bell glass or in a large closed tin, the botton- of which contains moist cork, peat or felf in twenty-four hours— or less if lie insects are small— they are as soft as when hrst caught Care should he taken when relaxing Lepidrptera to prevent dro08 of mristure forming on the wings a they frequently cause unsightly soots especially when blue or green colours predominate. In the case of spmmens packed between cotton, the whole layer may be placed in the relaxing box the top layer of cotton be.ng first removed. A drop or two of carbolic acid' will prevent the formation of mould . Papered specimens may be quite satisfactorily relaxf.d by placing the envelopes between damp cloths. .. ^P^ ^ permanent collection all larger insects are pinned according to the directions already given. Small Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera are -nounted on fine pieces of pointed wire called micro, or minuten-pins- as these *"-1- 8.— Portion o( a spreading board showinc mounted moth. pins are only one-third the length of an ordinary insect pin the method involves tne use of a double mount, the micro-pin being inserted into a small rect- angular piece of cork raised to the required height on an ordinary stout insect pin (fig. 4, L). Other small insects may be affixed by means of glue or shellac to the apex of a small triangular piece of cardboa*^ in such a manner that the *u u i J"®"^r ^?'^^^ ^^? "»*'*• ^" ordinary insect pin -3 then pinned through the base of the cardboard (Fig. 4, D). Spreading.--Specimens of insects other than Lepidoptera, Odonata and a few Neuropteroid insects, if already pinned in the field, do not require relaxing, but are ready for the cabinet after having been property labelled. Specimens of these orders, however, must have the wings expanded before being placed ir. the permanent cabinet. Spreading boards of various sizes are, therefore necessary and may either be purchased fro .. any entomological dealer or made at home from pine, or some other soft wood. They consist of two strips of wood, generally 12 or 18 inches long, attached at each end to braces, leaving a space of varying width between them to contain the body of the insect- the Illustration (Fig. 6) shows a poition of such a Iroard. A piece of thin cork or 14 stout tape is glued immediately beneath the body groove and a thicker piece of cork fastened to the base of the board directly under this jame groove. The height of the spreading board should be such that when the body of the insect lies in the groove and the base of the wings is level with the side pieces, the point of the pin should just enter the lower piece of cork and still leave one-quarter of its length projecting above the insect. To accommodate all sizes of insects the body grooves should vary in width from one-sixteenth to three-quarter inches. In spreading an insect care must be taken that the pin is perpendicular to the main axis of the l)ody a.id that the insect's body is pressed just so far iiiio the grnovc of the boa J as to allow the wings to lie perfectly flat jn the wood. To draw the wings into the p