PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGY, 157 



pinned in the cabinet. I have, found the following to be a handy 

 method of gumming small insects : Take a slip of glass a foot long 

 and two and one-half inches wide, fasten them to it with gum, and 

 suspend the glass in the cabinet. These remarks refer to the perfect 

 insects, as these are in many cases the only ones preserved. To 

 preserve larvoe, and fnipcc^ they should be placed in vials filled with 

 alcohol — small vials for separate species, or a large wide-mouthed 

 vial for various kinds. In making collections, larvse and pupge should 

 receive their share of attention. Beetles may also be preserved in 

 alcohol, but lepidopterous insects are spoiled by coming in contact 

 with the liquid. 



Process of setting. Lepidojderous insects, as butterflies, moths, 

 &c., should be taken, if held in the fingers at all, with the fore- 

 finger of the left hand beneath the body, and the thumb on the top, 

 and two drops of chloroform applied to the head and thorax 

 will put it to sleep. Great care must be taken, while handling 

 insects of this order, to prevent injuring their wings and covering of 

 the body, which is very fragile. After putting it to sleep, force a 

 pin of the proper length through the body, between the -wings, and 

 fasten to the setting board. Then, with the setting needle, place 

 the antennjB, or feelers, in the position j^'ou wish them to remain, 

 and fasten with pins. Draw out the tongue, or bill, in some speci- 

 mens, to about half its length, and fasten with a pin. If it is rep- 

 resented at rest, allow the wings to remain in a nearly vertical posi- 

 tion. If it is represented in motion, bring the outer edge of the 

 forward or outer wings at right angles with the body, and fasten 

 with braces and pins. Bring the lesser wings forward even with 

 the back edge of the outer wing, and fasten the same. Arrange the 

 legs, or at least the forward pair, put another drop of chloroform on 

 its head and leave till dry — see fig. 1 and 3. The antennas are 

 very easily broken after drying. To guard against this, in some 

 degree, they may be turned at right angles, or backward over the 

 body of the insect. A little spirits of turpentine should be spread 

 over the setting board, to exclude myites, &c. This order is divided 

 into two very distinct sections, popularly termed butterflies and 

 moths. The butterflies fly by day, and possess antennas club-shaped 

 at the extremity. The moths fly principally by night, and their 

 antennae are never club-shaped. The former are termed diurnal 

 lepidopteraj and the latter nocturnal lepidoptera. 



