174 ON MAKING USEFUL 



which every specimen was placed in one position, showing only 

 the upper side, and none with the wings extended, whilst the idea 

 of placing a dissection in the cabinet was quite unthought of. 

 The form of cabinet, and the method of mounting and arranging 

 the specimens may be a matter of individual taste, but even here 

 advantage may be gained by adopting a certain form of cabinet 

 and a certain system of mounting. I am strongly in favour of 

 using boxes in preference to drawers. They are more portable, 

 and do not require the glass covers which all drawers containing 

 insects must have. This in itself is a great advantage, for to 

 examine any specimen from the drawers the glass top must be 

 lifted out of its place. Again, if, when the collection was first 

 arranged, sufficient space was not left, or it has since been thought 

 desirable to add more specimens to illustrate peculiar varieties, 

 the whole of the collection must be re-arranged, which in a thirty- 

 drawer cabinet is such an undertaking as would scarcely be 

 attempted, unless all the drawers are precisely alike, and therefore 

 interchangeable, which is so rarely the case that practically we 

 may say that it never is so. Whereas, if you use boxes, it is only 

 necessary to introduce another box just as you would a book on 

 your library shelf. The size of the boxes may be a matter of 

 opinion. About ten by fifteen inches seems to be a very conven- 

 ient one, but it is certainly a mistake to have very large boxes. 

 They must, of course, all be of uniform size, and labelled and 

 numbered distinctly on the outside. 



This applies alike to all orders of insects, but now my remarks 

 will more especially refer to Beetles. Coleopterists usually mount 

 each individual specimen on a separate card, taking as much care 

 as possible to have all those of one species on cards of uniform 

 size. A pin is inserted at the foot of each card, which is pushed 

 up to the head, so that by using pins of one size only all the spe- 

 cimens may be of one height. It is obvious that the only means 

 of removing the specimens is by using a small bent pair of pin- 

 cers. I prefer using cards about two inches long, and of a width 

 suitable to the size of the insects, and placing on each card 

 from two to six specimens. The size of the cards enables me to 

 write on the under side the name of the species, locality, and 

 any other information. 



