DIRECTIONS FOR COLLECTING AND PRESERVING INSECTS.

BY



C. V. RILEY, M. A., Ph. D.,

Honorary Curator of the Department of Insects, U. S. National Museum.

Part F of Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 39
(with one plate).

WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

1892.

CONTENTS.

  Page. Introductory 3 Manual of instructions for collecting and preserving insects 5 Characteristics of insects 5 Scope and importance of entomology 6 Classification of hexapods 8 Order Hymenoptera 12 Order Coleoptera 14 Order Lepidoptera 16 Order Hemiptera 17 Suborder Thysanoptera 18 Order Diptera 19 Suborder Aphaniptera 20 Order Orthoptera 21 Suborder Dermaptera 22 Order Neuroptera 22 Suborder Trichoptera 23 Suborder Mecoptera 23 Suborder Neuroptera 23 Suborder Platyptera 24 Suborder Plecoptera 25 Suborder Odonata 25 Suborder Ephemeroptera 25 Suborder Thysanura 26 Collecting 26 General considerations 26 Collecting apparatus 29 The sweeping net 29 The water net 31

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Water dip-net 32 The umbrella 32 The beating cloth 33 The umbrella net 34 The sieve 35 The chisel 36 The trowel 36 The collecting tweezers 36 The brush 37 The fumigator 38 The haversack 38 The lens and microscope 39 Collecting Hymenoptera 39 Collecting Coleoptera 42 General directions 42 Winter collecting 43 Spring collecting 44 Myrmecophilous and Termetophilous species 44 Spring flights of Coleoptera 44 Beach collecting 45 Attracting by lights 45 Traps 45 Freshet 45 Summer collecting 46 Collecting under stones 46 Collecting in rotten stumps and logs 46 Collecting in dying or dead trees 47 Beating living trees, shrubs, and vines 47 Sweeping 47 Collecting on mud and gravel banks 48 Collecting aquatic beetles 49 Collecting at the seashore and on sandy places 49

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@39275@[email protected]#DUNG_BEETLE" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Collecting dung beetles 49 Night collecting 50 Fall collecting 50 Collecting Lepidoptera 50 Collecting the adults 50 Collecting the early states 53 Collecting Hemiptera 54 Collecting Diptera 55 Collecting Orthoptera 57 Collecting Neuroptera 58 Pseudoneuroptera 58 Neuroptera 59 Killing and preserving insects 60 First preservation of living specimens 60 Killing specimens 61 Alcohol 61 Chloroform and ether 62 Cyanide of potassium 63 Other agents 65 Special directions for different orders 66 Entomotaxy 67 Care of pinned and mounted specimens 67 Insect pins 67 Preparation of specimens 68 Pinning 69 Mounting on points 70 Mounting duplicates 73 Temporary storage of specimens 74 Envelopes for Lepidoptera, etc. 74 Directions for spreading insects 75 A new apparatus for spreading Microlepidoptera 76

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Spreading Microlepidoptera 77 Relaxing 79 Inflation of the larvæ of Lepidoptera 80 Stuffing insects 82 Dry preservation of Aphides and other soft-bodied insects 82 Mounting specimens for the microscope 84 Preparing and mounting the wings of Lepidoptera 86 Preservation of alcoholic specimens 88 Apparatus and methods 88 Vials, stoppers, and holders 89 Preserving micro-larvæ in alcohol 92 Preservative fluids 93 Alcohol 93 Alcohol and white arsenic 93 Alcohol and corrosive sublimate 94 Two fluids to preserve form and color 94 Glycerin 94 The Wickersheim preserving fluid 94 Labeling specimens 95 General directions 95 Labels for pinned specimens 95 Labeling alcoholic specimens 97 Cabinet for apparatus 98 Insect boxes and cabinets 98 General directions 98 The folding box 98 The cabinet 100 The Lintner display box 101 The Martindale box for Lepidoptera 104 Horizontal versus vertical arrangement of boxes 104 Lining for insect boxes 104

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@39275@[email protected]#ARRANGEMENT_OF_INSECTS_IN_THE_CABINET" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Arrangement of insects in the cabinet 106 Systematic and biologic collections 106 Economic displays 106 Labeling collections 107 Museum pests, mold, etc 108 Museum pests 108 Remedies 109 Naphthaline 109 Bisulphide of carbon 110 Mercury pellets 110 Carbolic acid 110 A means of preserving insects in dry, hot countries 110 Mold 111 Verdigrising and greasing 111 The rearing of insects 112 General directions 112 The breeding cage, or vivarium 112 Detailed instructions for rearing 115 The root cage 118 Other apparatus 119 The insectary 120 Directions for packing and transmitting insects 121 Notes and memoranda 123 Instructions for collecting and preserving Arachnids and Myriapods 124 Directions for collecting spiders 124 Apparatus 124 Time and locality for collecting 125 Collecting other Arachnids, mites, ticks, scorpions, etc 126 Collecting Myriapoda 130 Text books and entomological works 131

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Comprehensive works most useful for the student of North American insects 132 General works on classification 132 Hymenoptera 132 Coleoptera 132 Lepidoptera 133 Hemiptera 134 Diptera 134 Orthoptera 135 Neuroptera 135 Myriapoda 135 Arachnida 136 American periodicals 136 Foreign periodicals 138 The more useful works on economic entomology 140 Entomological works published by the United States Entomological Commission and by the United States Department of Agriculture 141 Works by the United States Entomological Commission 141 Bulletins of the Division of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture 142 Special reports and bulletins 144 How to obtain entomological books and pamphlets 145

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INTRODUCTORY.

There is a constant demand, especially from correspondents of the Museum and also of the Department of Agriculture, for information as to how to collect, preserve, and mount insects. There is also great need of some simple directions on a great many other points connected with the proper packing of insects for transmission through the mails or otherwise; labeling; methods of rearing; boxes and cabinets; text-books, etc. Interest in the subject of entomology has, in fact, made rapid growth in the last few years, and now that nearly every State has an official entomologist connected with its State Agricultural Experiment Station, the number of persons interested in the subject may be expected to increase largely in the near future. I have hitherto made use of the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, No. 261, which is a pamphlet on collecting and preserving insects prepared by Dr. A. S. Packard. This is out of print, and I have been requested by Prof. Goode to prepare for Bulletin 39, U. S. N. M., something that would cover the whole ground and give the more essential information needed for collectors and students of insect life. I have deemed it unnecessary to go too much into detail, but have studied not to omit anything essential. Customs and methods vary in different countries and with different individuals, but the recommendations contained in the following pages are based upon my own experience and that of my assistants and many acquaintances, and embrace the methods which the large majority of American entomologists have found most satisfactory.

Much of the matter is repeated bodily from the directions for collecting and preserving insects published in my Fifth Report on the Insects of Missouri (1872) and quotations not otherwise credited are from that Report. The illustrations, also, when not otherwise credited or not originally made for this paper, are from my previous writings. Some are taken from Dr. Packard's pamphlet, already mentioned; others, with the permission of Assistant Secretary Willits, from the publications of the Department of Agriculture, while a number have been especially made for the occasion, either from photographs, or from drawings by Miss L. Sullivan or Dr. Geo. Marx or Mr. C. L. Marlatt. When enlarged, the natural size is indicated in hair-line. In the preparation of the pamphlet I have had the assistance of Mr. E. A. Schwarz, and more particularly of Mr. C. L. Marlatt, to both of whom I desire here to express my obligations.

C. V. R.