276 



A FEW WORDS ON 

 COMMENCING A COLLECTION OF LEPIDOPTERA. 



BY THE REV. R. P. ALINGTON. 

 ( Concluded from page 252. _) 



I NOW come to a very important part of the entomologist's business, the 

 setting or spreading out of the wings of his specimens, to dry in a proper 

 form. Of this I believe there are three ways in common practice; of two 

 I shall alone speak, the other I believe is generally adopted abroad, and 

 called the French way. In this case the wings slope 

 upwards from the board, as here shewn. 



I should fancy this rather a difficult way of setting, 

 and one in which any irregularity would be very injurious to the look of 

 a cabinet. 



Of the other two the one most commonly adopted is that with pieces of 

 card of various sizes, cut in the shape of this out- 

 line — a pin through the broad end. You must 

 have sundry pieces of cork, as setting boards, or 

 I what is preferable, a double box lined with cork; 



this will keep out dust, and if large enough will 

 serve to keep duplicates in as well. Having run your pin through the 

 centre of the thorax of the fly, slightly leaning forward, so that when 

 stuck into the board, (the body of the fly being somewhat raised,) it 

 may stand perfectly straight, as in the first of the following figures; place 

 over each wing a piece of card, the wings can then easily be brought into 

 position with a pin, as in the centre figure. The fly, when dry, will be 

 just in the reverse position to that of the first plan mentioned, as shewn 

 in the third figure. 



^^^ 



The third plan is to set the flies on pieces of wood cut into shape for 

 the purpose. The collector must provide himself with a quantity of shapes 

 of different sizes to meet all comers to the net. This plan is perhaps more 

 applicable to the larger, while the previous one is most so to the smaller 

 species. The shapes had better be made of the softest wood, to allow the 



