312 TAXIDERMY AND ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTING. 



equally well to the larva. It is simply necessary, for instance, 

 in preparing 1 a series of specimens of the Rocky Mountain Lo- 

 cust, to make sure that a specimen representing 1 the creature 

 after each successive moult has been secured, and these are 

 mounted upon pins, and treated exactly as specimens of the 

 adult insect are treated. Be careful not to pin, however, too 

 soon after the moult. 



In the case of many of the Coleoptera, and of all the Metabola 

 the work of the collector is rendered far more laborious, for 

 these pass from the egg into vermiform larvae, which undergo 

 in some cases many moults, are then transformed into pup*, 

 which are either naked or contained in a protecting envelope 

 known as the cocoon, and then finally, after a longer or shorter 

 period in the pupal state, are transformed into the perfect 

 insect. 



The student and collector, if intending to benefit science by 

 their efforts, dare not neglect these rudimentary forms. 



The larvse of most insects which undergo a complete meta- 

 morphosis are very small when first emerging from the egg, and 

 before they make the first moult are, for the most part, best pre- 

 served as microscopic objects in cells filled with glycerine. In 

 the case of the larvao of the great bombycid moths, which at the 

 time of hatching are dark in color, it is possible to make a fairly 

 good specimen by piercing the anal extremity of the caterpillar, 

 and spitting it upon the extremity of a thick, black bristle, 

 or a fine copper wire wrapped with black silk. Specimens so 

 mounted will not shrivel greatly, and may be attached to pins 

 and placed in the cabinet after the slide containing the egg, as 

 the first, in the series of slowly maturing forms. After each 

 successive moult the larvae increase rapidly in size. The 

 method of preparing the larger forms which is now preferred 

 by good collectors is that of inflation. 



In inflating larvae the first step is to carefully remove the 

 contents of the larval skin. This is best effected by making an 

 incision with a stout pin or needle at the anus, and then, between 

 the folds of a soft towel, gently pressing out the contents of the 

 abdominal cavity. The pressure should be first applied near 

 the point where the pellicle has been punctured, and then be 

 carried forward until the region of the head is reached. Great 



