LOOKING FOR SPIDERS All spiders are carnivorous, feeding almost wholly upon insects. They can not fly, and although some of them are expert divers, none of them is truly aquatic; but, within these limits, they follow their insect victims everywhere. Some of them spend the day in silk-lined burrows, underground. Others hide in caves, in cracks, and under all kinds of debris. The herbaceous plants of marsh and meadow shelter a large population as do the trees and bushes of forest and wayside. Almost any flower may contain a camouflaged spider lying in ambush for the unwary fly. The conspicuous silken nets, funnels, and egg sacs of many species will lead you to their inconspicuous owners, and a search of barns, attics, and cellars will produce semi-domestic varieties. Any person making a general collection of insects is certain to turn up a great many spiders in the process. Since these have been less studied than insects, the chance of finding new species is considerably greater, while even less is known about their habits than about those of insects. If you are not interested in spiders yourself, you can do a service to Science by catching them anyhow, and donating them to some learned institution; or you might profitably establish a trading agreement with an arachnologist in some other part of the world. An advertisement in a scientific journal or popular magazine of natural history would probably uncover a number of people eager to "swap" insects for spiders, the creatures of one area for those of another, or an assortment of species for those of a particular family or genus. Acquaintances formed in this manner may improve with years, and add both to the scope of your collection and to the interest of your hobby. COLLECTING PROCEDURES Every serious collector takes pride in the perfection of his specimens. With a collection of insects or spiders, the achievement of this perfection begins in the field. The creatures must be caught carefully, killed quickly, and packed securely, if they are to reach the laboratory in good condition. The great variety of collecting techniques employed by expert collectors are individually derived from the few basic methods here described. These are dictated by the physical nature of the specimens, their habits, the places from which they must be extracted, and the tools and materials most readily available to the collector. In making a general collection, you will probably, sooner or later, use all of them, but it is not recommended that you try to do so all at once. You would be so hampered by the weight and bulk of your equipment that a maggot could escape you. Much better try them in succession, carrying a minimum of impedimenta, until you have learned the possibilities and limitations of each and which are most suited to your own needs and abilities. As you become proficient, you will devise improvements of your own, and evolve a collecting kit adapted to your personal requirements. HAND PICKING This is the original collecting technique, and it is still satisfactory for many insects and spiders. The necessary equipment is equally fundamental, consisting of good eyes, nimble fingers and the following simple articles. FOR WET COLLECTING 1. Several small bottles with tight stoppers. 2. A supply of preserving fluid. 3. A small water-color paint brush. FOR DRY COLLECTING 1. Several killing jars, ethyl acetate or cyanide type. 2. Storage boxes with packing material. 3. Some paradichlorobenzene moth crystals. GENERALLY USEFUL 1. Notebook and dark pencil. 2. Small slips of paper, for locality labels. 3. Small metal boxes, for transporting live specimens. 4. A small, wide-mouthed bottle and a card large enough to cover it. This is used to catch dangerous specimens. 5. A pair of forceps, slender and pointed. Hand picking is applicable to a great variety of insects and spiders at some stage of development or under some conditions. Many species are naturally sluggish, or even immobile; and few of the wingless varieties are fast enough to escape, when alarmed, if you can manage to keep them in view. Even the swiftest of the winged kinds are easily taken when sleeping, preoccupied, or numb with cold. Most species large enough to be grasped without injury may be simply picked up with the fingers and dropped into the collecting jar. Wasps and bees, true bugs, Black Widow spiders, and other creatures convicted or suspected of biting or stinging, should be handled with more care. If such a specimen is found in a suitable location, you may be able to catch it between the mouth of the killing jar and its cover. In other places the bottle and card may be more practical. Put the mouth of the bottle over the specimen, slide the card under it, uncover the killing jar, place the two bottles mouth-to-mouth, withdraw the card from between them, jolt the specimen into the 3