killing jar, and clap on the lid. If you are dexterous with the forceps, you may prefer to use it for handling dangerous species, as well as those too small or too inaccessible to be siezed between the finger and thumb. Creatures too soft-boiled to dry without distortion must be collected and preserved in liquid. These include all spiders, the eggs, larvae and pupae of most insects, and the adults of some. A few hard-bodied insects that are black or dark brown in color, such as dung and water beetles, can stand wetting and may be collected in liquid and subsequently removed, pinned, and dried in the usual manner. Hairy, scaley, or delicate-winged species are collected in liquid only when wanted for dissection, as their appearance is irreparably ruined by such treatment. All species, hard or soft, which are so small that they must be mounted on microscope slides are properly collected wet. Caterpillars which are to be inflated can be col- lected in liquid, but the color will be better if they are brought into the laboratory alive and dropped into boiling water, or gasses in the dry killing jar, like a hard-bodied insect, and blown immediately there- after. A very large number of preserving fluids have been concocted by learned collectors, each claiming some particular advantage. Their formulae are available in technical publications. This museum, however, uses nothing but 95% pure ethyl alcohol, somewhat diluted with water for most purposes. Unfortunately for the amateur entomologist, pure ethyl alcohol, 190 proof grain neutral spirits, is subject to a federal liquor tax which makes its price prohibitively high. Its sale is further restricted by State regulations. In New York State it cannot be purchased without a Doctor's perscription or a permit from the State Liquor Au- thority. Many scientific institutions, such as university laboratories, hospitals, and museums, have permits, and are also tax exempt, but they may be called to account for every pint they use. If you can arrange to obtain your alcohol from such a source, you are in luck. If you cannot, go to the nearest drug store and find a rubbing-alcohol compound containing 70% of ethyl alcohol. This will be a satisfactory killing fluid for all but the most delicate species. As a preservative, it is just barely strong enough. When a small bottle- full is diluted with the body fluids of several large specimens, it ceases to be effective, and must be re- placed. Change the alcohol on even a few small specimens at least once, that on a large lot two or three times, within a few days of capture. Thereafter, r renew the liquid whenever it becomes discolored. For very tiny thin-skinned species, such as aphids and trips, use a killing fluid containing, by volume, one part of water to three of 70% alcohol, replacing it with straight 70% alcohol the following day. This "stepping up" minimizes the shrinkage caused by sudden removal of water from the tissues. "Completely denatured alcohol" contains 95% of ethyl alcohol, rendered im potable by the addition of a little wood alcohol and gasoline. You can buy it at many large drug stores, or order it from a chemical supply house, and dilute it as you would pure alcohol to serve your several purposes. To make a killing fluid for delicate specimens, add 6 parts of water to 7 of alcohol. For general collecting, and to preserve very small species, use 21/2 parts water to 7 of alcohol; and for preserving those of large or moderate size, 2 to 11. Always replace the killing fluid by the more concen- trated preserving fluid within a day or two. The stronger the alcohol, the less frequently must it be changed because of dilution by the natural moisture of the specimens, but too strong a mixture will make the creatures brittle. Laboratory procedures for dealing with soft-bodied arthropods are discussed in Leaflet Number 6. To look well, a collection of alcoholic specimens should be stored in bottles of uniform design and a limited number of sizes. Those used as standard in this Museum are lipped vials with corks, 2 dram size for small and medium sized species, 4 dram for large ones. Such vials are obtainable at drug stores and scientific supply houses. When purchased in quantity, the price is surprisingly low. Doubling as collecting bottles, a pocketfull of these little storage vials have several advantages over a single large collecting jar. For one thing, you cannot accidentally spill your whole day's supply of alcohol at one time. For another, each species, colony, or associated group of creatures can have a bottle and label to itself. Do not forget the label, date, locality and observations, written in soft pencil on a small slip of paper and placed inside the bottle with the specimens. Color notes will be particularly valuable, as vivid or delicate hues are bleached by alcohol, while creatures which are pale or colorless gradually turn dark brown. Both the discoloration and the distortion of liquid preservation will be less if you bring back your specimens alive, and kill them by stewing in water heated to just below the boiling point. Let them simmer for five to fifteen minutes, according to size. Then, if they are large enough to handle, puncture each with a needle, to relieve internal pressure, before transferring them to alcohol. Stewing is highly recommended by specialists in the study of larvae, particularly for the preparation of grubs and other wax-white animals. When the beauty of the specimens is more important than economy of time, it certainly repays the extra effort. If a tight-corked bottle is more than three quarters full of liquid, the air pressure caused by the insertion of the stopper may be great enough to force it out 4