The Capture, Preparation, and Preservation of Specimens 
by the corresponding portion of the wing of another specimen of 
the same sex of the same species in such a way as almost to defy 
detection. The prime requisites for this work are patience, a 
steady hand, a good eye, a great deal of “gumption,” a few set¬ 
ting-needles, a jeweler's forceps, and a little shellac dissolved in 
alcohol. The shellac used in replacing a missing antenna should 
be of a thickish consistency; in repairing wings it should be well 
thinned down with alcohol. In handling broken antennae it is 
best to use a fine sable pencil, which may be moistened very 
lightly by applying it to the tip of the tongue. With this it is 
possible to pick up a loose antenna and place it wherever it is de¬ 
sired. Apply the shellac to the torn edges of a broken wing with 
great delicacy of touch and in very small quantity. Avoid put¬ 
ting on the adhesive material in “gobs and slathers.” Repairing 
is a fine art, which is only learned after some patient experimen¬ 
tation, and is only to be practised when absolutely necessary. 
The habit of some dealers of patching up broken specimens with 
parts taken from other species is highly to be reprobated. Such 
specimens are more or less caricatures of the real thing, and no 
truly scientific man will admit such scarecrows into his collection, 
except under dire compulsion. 
Packing and Forwarding Specimens .—It often becomes neces¬ 
sary to forward specimens from one place to another. If it is in¬ 
tended to ship specimens which have been mounted upon pins 
they should be securely pinned in a box lined with cork. A great 
many expanded specimens may be pinned 
in a box by resorting to the method known 
as “shingling,” which is illustrated in Fig. 73. 
By causing the wings of specimens to over¬ 
lap, as is shown in the figure, a great many 
can be accommodated in a small space. 
When the specimens have been packed the 
box should be securely closed,, its edges shut 
with paper, after some drops of chloroform 
have been poured into the box, and then this 
box should be placed in an outer box con¬ 
taining excelsior, hay, cotton, or loose shav¬ 
ings in sufficient abundance to prevent the 
jarring of the inner box and consequent breakage. Where speci¬ 
mens are forwarded in envelopes, having been collected in the 
55 
Fig. 73.—Butterflies 
pinned into a box over¬ 
lapping one another, or 
11 shingled.” 
