COLLECTIONS OF INSECTS, ETC. 177 



cannot, of course, be mounted in these boxes entire, but they are 

 few in number, and parts of them exhibiting all their characteris- 

 tics may be readily preserved, and be of every use, whilst the 

 entire insects would be kept elsewhere in the usual cabinets. 



There is another plan which has many advantages — namely, 

 using the largest-size homoeopathic pillule tubes (not bottles), and 

 mounting the insects on strips of card the length and width of the 

 inside of the tube. These strips are attached to the corks by 

 being pushed into a cut made with a penknife, so that the card is 

 not only kept in position in the tube, but on taking out the cork, 

 the strip of card with the insects on it comes out also, and in a 

 way convenient for viewing. The genus and species of each 

 should be written on the back of the card. Of course, these 

 tubes must have a specially constructed cabinet, with hollows for 

 their reception, so that each may lie securely and not be loosely 

 rattling about. One advantage of this method is the total freedom 

 from any chance of their being attacked by mites. 



Specimens of most of the medium-sized insects should be 

 rendered transparent and mounted in balsam without pressure. 

 The details of the process for accomplishing this I have described 

 in the Journal of Microscopy^ July, 1885, p. 151. When any 

 insect is prepared in this way, all the organs can be seen in their 

 proper position and can be examined with any power of the micro- 

 scope, so as to make out the exact shape and character of any 

 particular part. Of the larger species, heads should be prepared 

 in this manner, and it will be found that the best result is obtained 

 by cutting the head in halves at the sides, so as to have the 

 clypeus, labrum, and mandibles in one object, and at the side, or 

 above it, the ventral portion of the head — namely, the mentum, 

 labium, maxillae, palpi, etc. — as another object, but mounted in 

 the same cell. The smaller insects and parts of larger ones may- 

 be mounted in balsam in the usual way with pressure. This 

 method, at the best, somewhat distorts the shape of the insect, 

 and alters the relative position of the parts ; but as we have the 

 same insect as a solid object to refer to as a guide to general form 

 and colour, this is not of so much moment. The method has 

 many advantages, particularly for small objects, when used in its 

 proper sphere. 



