The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-09-10
A VACATION HINT FOR BOYS.
Como Suggestions for Young Insect Col
lectors.

sonc Suggestions for Young Insect Cof-
lectors.
Many OF the wideawake youngsters
who are planning to spend their vaca-
tion in the country will find special
fascination In making collection oil
insects. Now is the time to study up
the subject Of preserving these treas
ured specimens. One who is interest
ed in natural history, and has been
especially successful in preserving in
sects for his fine collection, claims
| that there is no varnish nor other
preparation OF this sort which will pre-
/ serve the insects by being placed upon
them. Certainly to varnish moths or
! lepdoptera would injure them, and
beetles would not be kept from falling
apart because of this application.
In the first place, in collecting in
sects it is a good plan to kill them with
cyanide potassium, prepared by mixing
1t with plaster OF Paris and water, in
wide-mouthed bottles kept tightly
corked, except when placing insects In
them. The fumes of the cyanide OF
potassium will quickly kill the insect,
and this also helps to preserve II from
the attacks OF museum pests.
After the insect is killed, II II is
fleshy. like large-bodied moth, for in
stance, take a pair Of pointed scissors,
cut open the under side of the body,
holding the slight cut open with a pair
of jewelers. pincers, and with second
pair OF pincers take out the contents
of the body Then fill the body with
cotton, made the right size and rolled
in hellebore and little arsenic. The
hellebore tends to dry the body and
helps the arsenic to preserve 1t.
Very large beetles may be prepared
in the same way, closing the upper cut
made in the body and letting it dry.
The only way to keep insects from
falling apart is to put them in tight
boxes or cases that will keep out the
museum pests-the anthrenus museor-
um and dermestes lardarius-as they
are called.
The larva of the dermestes eat into
the bodies of the specimens, doing their
destructive work out of sight. After
they are through there is nothing left
but thin shell; and soon the head will
fall off, the wings will follow and the
specimens become worthless, A fine
collection should be kept inclosed In
! tight cases to save 1t, as II will GER
tainly be destroyed If the least chance
is given to these pests to reach It,
With these precautions a collection
should be carefully examined as often
as once a month in cold weather and
| twice a month in warm weather. 1t
is also we'll to keep a piece Of cotton
| pinned in each case, which has been
dipped in creosote as a help to pre-
serve the collection.
1t should be remembered that sew
eral of the preparations mentioned are
poisons, and the boys who are interest
| ing themselves in studying insects and
their habits of life, while making a
collection of native specimens, should
/ be allowed only to collect and arrange
| his specimens, while some one older
| should attend to this work Of preserv-
| ing them. After all, the trouble and
| time required for the work (by the
mother or older sister, or the one most
/ interested in giving the boys royal
good time" during the summer outing)
will be very slight in proportion to the
| pleasure given to the enthusiastic col
! lector in thus taking an interest in his
! treasured specimens; and much danger
| from the use of the poisons by the in
! experienced boy will be avoided. Ev-
cry mother should keep herself posted
/ in the studies and pastimes that prove
| of special interest to her wideawake
son, and even if the outing prepara-
I tions require a great deal of time, 1t
will pay to study up this subject of in
/ sect collection and preservation for the
/ boy who is interested in natural his
/ tory.