WINTER COLLECTING.--There are more species of Coleoptera hibernating in the imago state[3] than in any other order and winter collecting is therefore most profitable in many respects. For instance, great swampy tracts which are inaccessible in the summer season harbor an abundance of rare Coleoptera, which either can not be found in summer time or are found at that season with the greatest difficulty. At the approach of winter, however, all or most of these species will leave the swamp and seek drier ground, where they hibernate under old leaves, under bark of trees, or in rotten stumps near the edge of the swamp. Such places will, therefore, give a rich harvest to the Coleopterist late in the fall, during warm spells in midwinter, and in very early spring. If the temperature is below the freezing point, or if the ground is frozen hard, no winter collecting should be attempted, first, on account of sanitary considerations, and also because the Coleoptera then retreat more deeply into the ground and can not be found so easily as when the ground is free from frost. Other good collecting places in winter are the accumulated old leaves along the edges of forests or under the shrubbery along water courses, thick layers of moss, and the loose bark of dead or dying trees, and, finally, also under the bark of certain living trees, _e. g._ Pines, Sycamore, Shellbark Hickory. Digging in the ground at the base of large trees or rocks also yields good returns. The only instruments necessary for winter collecting are the sieve, the chisel, and the trowel. [3] There are a few species of Coleoptera known in Europe which belong to the true "winter insects," _i. e._ such as appear in the imago state only during winter time, but whether or not we have such species in our own fauna has not yet been ascertained. SPRING COLLECTING.--With the first days of spring, collecting becomes a little more varied. The methods used for winter collecting can still be continued with good success. Certain spring flowers, notably Willow blossoms, will furnish many valuable species, which are not seen again during the rest of the season. [Illustration: FIG. 64.--A Lamellicorn (_Pelidnota punctata_). _a_, larva; _b_, pupa; _c_, beetle; _d_, _e_, _f_, enlarged parts.]