The border of a piece of woods where many shrubs and weeds are growing is an especially good place for collecting many kinds of insects. Any place where there is a great variety of plants and flowers will give a variety of insects. Banks of streams and underneath stones in the fields are good places for collecting.
When To Collect Insects.
The best time of the year is during the summer months. The best time of day is in the forenoon after eight o'clock, and in the twilight at evening.
At night many moths may be caught by making a paste of sugar and water (unrefined sugar is best) and painting it upon tree trunks with a brush after sunset. The paste should cover a space two inches wide and several inches long. After dark seek these places cautiously with a lantern and moths will be found sucking the paste; these may be caught with the killing bottle if you move carefully so as not to frighten them; they do not seem to mind the light of the lantern.
Electric street-lights attract many insects which may be caught in the net. A lamp set in an open window is also a very good lure on warm nights in the spring and summer.
Arranging the Insects in Boxes.
Fig. 136. a, Cricket. b, Grasshopper.
After collecting insects comes the desire to arrange them properly, putting together in neat rows those that resemble each other. To classify insects correctly requires much study. The scope of this leaflet admits of only a few suggestions about the most common insects.
Dragon Flies.—There are many kinds of these, but they all have four wings, finely netted and transparent, the hind wings being as large or larger than the front wings. These are perfectly harmless insects.