REARING INSECTS. 259 



the canister; but under ordinary circumstances I prefer to pin them 

 one by one as I set them. 



" Taking the lid off a box, and taking the box between the finger 

 and thumb of the right hand, I roll out the insect on the top of the 

 left thumb, supporting it with the top of the forefinger and so ma- 

 nipulating it as to bring the head pointing towards my right hand and 

 the thorax uppermost. Now I take a pin in the right hand, and rest- 

 ing the first joint of the middle finger of the right against the pro- 

 jecting point of the middle finger of the left hand to avoid unsteadi- 

 ness, I pin the insect obliquely through the thickest part of the 

 thorax so that the head of the pin leans very slightly forward over 

 the head of the insect. After passing the pin far enough through 

 to bring about one-fourth of an inch out below,* I pin the insect 

 into the middle of the groove of a setting-board so that the edge of 

 the groove will just support the under sides of the wings close up to 

 the body when they are raised upon it. The board should be chosen 

 of such a size as will permit of the extension of the wings nearly to 

 its outer edge. The position of the pin should still be slanting a 

 little forward. The wings should now be raised into the position in 

 which they are intended to rest, with especial care in doing so not 

 to remove-any scales from the surface or cilia of the wings. Each 

 wing should be fastened with a brace long enough to extend across 

 both, the braces being pinned at the thick end, so that the head of 

 the pin slopes away from the point of the brace ; this causes the 

 braces to press more firmly down on the wing when fixed. The insect 

 should be braced thus : the two braces next the body should have the 

 points upwards, the two outer ones pointing downwaids and slightly 

 inwards towards the body, and covering the main portion of tlie wings 

 beyond the middle. Antenna? should be carefully laid back above 

 the wings, and braces should lie flat, exercising an even pressure at 

 all points of their surface. The fore wings should slope slightly 

 forwards so that a line drawn from the point of one to the point of 

 the other will just miss the head and palpi. The hind wings should 

 be close up, leaving no intervening space, but just showing the upper 

 angle of the wing evenly on each side. I can give no more precise 

 directions as to how this desirable result may most simply and 

 speedily be attained ; no two people set alike. Speed is an object ; 

 for I have often had to set twelve dozen insects before breakfast. A 

 simple process is essential, for a man who is always'pinniug and mov- 



* The English mode of pinning low down on a short pin presents 

 so many disadvantages that we would caution collectors to pin high 

 up on a long German pin so that three-fourths of its length should 

 project below the body. A. S. P. 



