mals, partially dried bones, are excellent traps for Coleoptera, especially Necrophida, Silphidæ, Nitidulidæ, &c. Planks and chippings of wood may be likewise employed as successful agents in alluring a vast number of species which might otherwise escape notice. The muddy banks of rivers, and the alluvial deposits of marshy grounds are pre-eminently rich, and must be carefully searched for Carabidæ, Staphylinidæ, &c. Felled timber should never be overlooked, especially beneath the bark. The waters, particularly stagnant pools, teem with life, and during the autumnal months the collector must be on the qui vive with his water net, as several fine specimens of Dyticida and Hydrophilidæ can be added to his collection.

The instrumenta belli of the Coleopterist. A sweeping-net is the first thing to be obtained; strong brass wire makes the best ring for this net; then a bag is made of linen or berlin wool canvas to suit the size of the ring, which is attached to the end of a stick. The use of this net is to sweep low shrubbery, flowers and grass; the rarest and smallest beetles are captured with it. I use but one ring for all my nets, viz:-the sweeping, gauze, and waternets; it is hinged in the centre, for the purpose of being more portable; the ends are bent round and flattened, so that one end sits on the other; the handle is of wood, and bored at one end, into which a screw is inserted. After the net is put on, the ends of the ring are placed upon the stick, and tightened with the screw. I carry all the nets in my pocket, and make use of them as required, and also use the handle as a walking stick.

A collecting bottle, (any wide mouthed one will answer) with a good cork stopper; the bottle should be encased in tin to prevent its being easily broken. My friend, F. H. Ibbetson, Esq., late Assistant Com. General, of Montreal, a profound entomologist, generally wrapped a piece of cotton around his collecting bottle, which he found to serve two purposes, to prevent any sudden blow on the tin breaking the bottle, and as a bandage, should any cut or injury be received. The bottle is half filled with fine saw-dust, which has been previously sifted through a piece of net, whereby all that is too coarse is separated; the saw-dust is then moistened with spirits of wine or good alcohol, and it is then ready for use. I use this method for collecting Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Hymenop tera and diptera.

This net is made of coarse canvas, on the same principle as the sweeping-net.

Insects collected as above described, will keep fresh (provided the bot le is kept well corked), for upwards of a year, and are always in good condition for the cabinet.

A scizzors, camels-hair brushes, a pair of pliers, and pieces of card are necessary. A drying-box is the next requisite, one made of pine will answer the purpose, it must contain at least four boards to slide like drawers, the boards to be covered with cork, or any other soft material that pins can stick into.* After an excursion, the contents of the collecting bottle are emptied on a piece of white paper, and the new captives selected therefrom, and mounted on pinst suitable to the size of the insects. They are then placed in the drying-box, and left there until they are thoroughly dry, when they are transferred to the cabinet wherein the entomologist arranges his collection. The cabinet must be made to shut very close so as to exclude the dust and minute parasitic insects.

The pin should be stuck through the centre of either the right or left elytron of coleopterous insects; I find the right side to answer best, especially for small specimens.

HOW TO COLLECT LEPIDOPTERA.

To collect butterflies and moths on the wing, the entomologist must use a net which should be made of white book muslin, or of green lino or net. The insect when seen is pursued, and the instant it is captured a sharp turn is given to the net, and the specimen is a prisoner; a slight squeeze on the thorax with the finger and thumb, the insect becomes paralysed, and in that state pinned.

Nocturnal moths are often found asleep on palings or trunks of trees, and may be taken without the aid of the net; crepuscular species may also be found in the same position, but they will readily take alarm when the collector approaches, therefore, the net is necessary to capture them.

• When cork cannot be procured the following composition will answer:-10 oz. of yellow rosin, 6 oz. of yellow wax, 2 oz. of tallow, and 1 oz. of turpentine. Melt them together over a fire, and when they are well melted and mixed, set the box or drawer upon a table or other place which is perfectly horizontal, then pour the mixture gently into the box, so as to cover the bottom about the tenth of an inch. Before it cools, cover it completely with white paper previously prepared.

Entomological Pins may be obtained of W. Gale, Crown Court, Cheapside, London, England.

Moths are attracted by light. The English lepidopterists adopt the following plan to capture Bombyces, Geometrida, Pyralides, and even the Sphingidae; sometimes the genus Smerinthus make their appearance. "To obtain moths by light it is advisable to have one light outside the room in advance of the window, and one inside the room; the former light bringing the moths within the sphere of attraction of the inner light. Those who try this plan will find that all nights are not equally successful; sometimes the moths will come in perfect swarms, and all sorts of rare species come to the collector, instead of his having to go in search of them; at other times, though the weather seems favorable, no moths will come, and the collector becomes disheartened, and declares the light "no go." It is no use to try light on a bright moonlight night, but dark and dull nights, with not much wind, are generally the best."

Butterflies and moths are pinned through the centre of the thorax, and held as nearly as possible vertical, if anything with a point rather inclining backwards. When a specimen is pinned on the setting-board or drying-box, then cut braces of card tapering nearly to a point, and place one under each of the wings to keep them in a horizontal position; in three or four days the insect becomes dry, then the braces may be removed, and the specimen transferred to the cabinet.

In summer care must be taken to exclude mites from the setting-boards as well as the cabinet. A mixture of equal parts of oil of thyme, oil of anise, and spirits of wine spread over the setting-board, together with a piece of camphor is necessary. Lepidopterous insects are also procured by means of what is termed a breeding-box, which is divided into compartments, with about six or seven inches of good earth, for such species as go through their transformations under ground care should be taken that the earth is free from vegetable matter, as it will mould and destroy the pupa. The inside of the box should be rough, so that such caterpillars as form dry cocoons, can attach themselves more naturally; the top to be covered with gauze or wire frame. It requires considerable attention to feed caterpillars, therefore, it is much easier to hunt for pupa and cocoons. For this purpose the lepidopterist must carry a tin-box containing some sand and moss, and a trowel: a round bladed one is best; with this instrument he can dig at the roots of trees, and other favorable localities. "No pupæ hunter can hope for success, unless he have a good

stock of patience and perseverance; he must not mind cold hands, wet feet, or an aching back, for, although these are drawbacks, yet is the pursuit quite exciting when successful, and it will reward the seeker, not merely of Lepidoptera, but also of all the other orders of insects." The best months for digging are September, October and November, if the weather permits.*

The generic name of each species determined, is written on a piece of paper fixed to the bottom of the same pin which supports the insect, and if possible procure both sexes, and place them side by side in the cabinet.

When the entomologist goes on an excursion, he should carry a blank book in his pocket, to note observations on the habits of insects. When thus he examines and observes for himself, he feels a greater ownership in the knowledge so obtained, than he would feel in any information derived from learning a passage in a book by heart. "A person may learn a great deal from books, and yet, from a want of observation, may be unable to read the pages of the book of nature, daily spreads out before us, ever fresh and ever interesting. Each time that the collector of insects catches a species which is new to him, he receives a thrill of pleasure, for he is adding a rarity to his collection." And these pleasures, it will be observed, though of so high an order, are positively within the reach of all; it has been well said, "happiness is within our reach if we will but take it," and such is entomology.

ARTICLE XII.-The Muskrat, (Fiber Zibethicus.)

GENUS FIBER.-ILLIger.

"Lower incisors, sharp-pointed, and convex in front; molars, with flat crowns, furnished with scaly transverse zig-zag laminæ. Fore-feet with four toes and the rudiment of a thumb; hind-feet,

* I prefer the winter months to hunt for the cocoons of Bombyces, such Atiacasus luna, A. polyphemus, A. ceropia and prometheus; they are more readily detected on account of the trees at this season being without foliage.

with five toes, the edges furnished with stiff hairs, which assist the animal in swimming, instead of the feet being palmated or webbed, hind-toes, slightly palmated. Tail, long, compressed, granular, nearly naked, having but a few scattered hairs. Glands, near the origin of the tail, which secrete a white, musky, and somewhat offensive fluid. Mammæ six, abdominal.

"This genus differs from the ARVICOLA in its dentition; the first inferior molar, has one point more than the corresponding tooth in the latter, and all the molars acquire roots immediately after the animal becomes an adult. We have frequently heard complaints made by students of natural history, of the difficulties they had to encounter at the very outset, from the want of accuracy and uniformity in the works of authors, when stating the characters by which they defined the genera they established. The justness of these complaints may be well illustrated by examining the accounts of the present genus as given by several well-known writers.

"ILLIGER says it has four molars on each side, (Utrinqui quaterni,) see Prodomus systematis mammaliarum et avum, making in all twenty teeth. WIEGMAN and RUTHE, have given the same dental arrangement, see Handbuch der Zoologie, Berlin, 1832. F. CUVIER, who has been followed by most authors, has given itIncisive; Canine, sixteen teeth. GRIFFITH, Animal Kingdom, vol. iii., p. 106, describes it as having-Incisive ; Canine twenty teeth; and in his synopsis of the species of mammalia, (sp. 532,) its dental arrangement is thus characterized -Incisive, Canine 3=3, Cheek-teeth, 33, giving to it the extravagant number of twenty-eight teeth. This last statement is most probably only a typographical error. A correct examination and description of the teeth of this genus requires a considerable degree of labour, besides great attention and care, as they are placed so close to each other that without a good magnifying glass it is difficult to find the lines of separation, and almost impossible to ascertain their number, without extracting them one by one.

"The descriptions and figures of their dental arrangement, by Baron CUVIER, and F. CUVIER are correct: see Ondatras, dents des mammifères, pl. 53, p. 157, and Recherches sur les ossemens fossiles, t. 5, p. 1.

"ILLIGER'S generic name, Fiber, is derived from the latin word, Fiber, a beaver. There is only one species described as belonging to this genus."