Technique
Haliday worked mainly with very small insects. Study of the tiny parts required dissection, glass slide mounting and a very high quality microscope. The equipment was obtained from the London microscopist Andrew Pritchard. Whole specimens were mounted on card using gum, the card being transfixed by an entomological pin of German manufacture.
The minute Hymenoptera are best collected by beating into, and sweeping with, a net made of fine gauze, and Mr. Haliday recommends me to collect them into quills (shaft of a bird feather with the ends sealed by tiny corks), and afterwards to empty their contents into hot water, by which means their wings are naturally expanded ; then by introducing a card under them to take them out of the water, arranging the legs and wings when necessary with a camel's hair pencil, and leaving them upon the card till they are dry, they may afterwards be taken off with a penknife, and gummed upon the points of small pieces of drawing- or card-paper of a long triangular form - Curtis British Entomology July 1st 1830
Since the descriptions were necessarily based on more than one specimen they may sometimes be ambiguous (based on more than one species).Collecting and general methodology followed the instructions given by George Samouelle in The entomologist's useful compendium; or, An introduction to the knowledge of British insects, comprising the best means of obtaining and preserving them, and a description of the apparatus generally used and Abel Ingpen's manual Instructions for collecting, rearing, and preserving British & foreign insects : also for collecting and preserving crustacea and shells.On collecting trips he used a Coddington lens.
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