572 Preserving Humming- Bir (V s Eggs, Spiders, S^c, 



bee (Bombus terrestris)," " the nectaries of the common co- 

 lumbine " were the subject of its perforations, and the mode 

 in which it perforated them, this : — " The bee settles on the 

 outside of the flower lookin^r upwards, then bites a small hole 

 in the nectary with its mandibles, and instantly thrusts its pro- 

 boscis into the aperture." The observer of this fact has 

 added : — " On examining a number of flowers, not less than 

 250, I found that at least two thirds of them were thus per- 

 forated."] 



[^Preserving the Eggs of Humming-Birds and those of other 

 Birdsr\ — The eggs even of the smallest humming-birds cannot 

 be long kept in hot countries. They retain for some time in 

 our cabinets their natural colour, but afterwards become dis- 

 coloured, and burst : they should all be emptied, and injected 

 with plaster of Paris, or chalk made into a paste. Small 

 perforated brass or silver points of this shape should be always 

 at hand. [The drawings represent two miniature funnels; 

 one about an inch long, with the upper or receiving part 

 cylindrical, but the greater portion of its length composed of 

 the conducting part, which is gracefully tapered to a fine point ; 

 the other funnel is shorter, less slenderly tapered, and its point 

 not so fine : each is represented as banded with a ring in relief 

 round the centre of the cylindrical portion of its length, as if 

 to render holding by the finger and thumb more ready.] A 

 small aperture is to be made at each end of the ^gg, rather 

 laterally, and, one of the tubes being fixed on a goose quill, 

 the contents are to be expelled by blowing. A common pewter 

 syringe is then to be filled with the paste, and, the tube being 

 pressed on its point, the ^gg is filled in a moment. Any 

 ingenious silversmith could make them neatly : the only dif- 

 ficulty is in filing away the metal carefully from the point. 

 They are very useful at all times ; in 



The Injection of PupcB and La7^ce, the Bodies of Spidet^s, 

 and other fieshy and perishable Objects. [Mr. Guilding has, 

 in another note relative to the query on preserving spiders, in 

 II. 291., pursued this subject.] 



Spiders, I find, are easily preserved by means of the per- 

 forated pointed tubes I have above alluded to. Sand, or 

 any heavy substance, should be avoided in distending them. 

 Process: — Puncture the abdomen rather laterally beneath ; 

 gently press out the contents on a rag, and with the forceps 

 remove the remaining viscera : place the pin in the thorax 

 on the right side ; take the tube on a quill, and distend the 

 abdominal skin with air : fill the syringe, with its tube, with 

 any size-preparation (see Pole's Anatomical Instructor) used 



