The Capture., Preparation, and Preservation of Specimens 
The beginner who has not a long purse will do well to preserve 
his collections in boxes such as have been described. They can 
be obtained quite cheaply and 
are most excellent. Cabinets 
are more or less of a luxury for 
the amateur, and are only a ne¬ 
cessity in the case of great col¬ 
lections which are constantly 
being consulted. The boxes 
may be arranged upon shelves. 
Some of the largest and best 
collections in the world are pre¬ 
served in boxes, notably those 
of the United States National 
Museum. 
Fig. 70.—A, A, side and bottom of box; 
B, frame fitting into box; C, space which 
must be left between frame and bottom of 
box; P } P t paper stretched on frame. 
Labeling .—Each 
specimen 
should have on the pin below the specimen a small label giving 
the date of capture, if known, and the locality. Below this should 
be a label of larger size, giving its sci¬ 
entific name, if ascertained, and the 
sex. Labels should be neat and uni¬ 
form in size. A good size for labels 
for large species is about one inch 
long and five eighths of an inch wide. 
The labels should be written in a fine 
but legible hand. Smaller labels may 
be used for smaller species. A crow- 
quill pen and India ink are to be pre¬ 
ferred in writing labels. 
A rrangement of Specimens.— Spe¬ 
cimens are best arranged in rows. 
The males should be pinned in first 
in the series, after them the females. 
Varieties should follow the species. 
After these should be placed any 
aberrations or monstrosities which 
the collector may possess. The name 
Fig. 71.—Manner of arranging 
specimens in cabinet. 
of the genus should precede all the species contained in the col¬ 
lection, and after each species the specific name should be placed. 
Fig. 71 shows the manner of arrangement. 
52 
