126 



The Ottawa Naturalist. 



[September 



ig:- 4- 



wood, such as whitewood, or 

 pine, should be chosen. Fig. 4 

 shows a section of the style we 

 use. As the bodies of Lepidoptera 

 vary much, different sized spread- 

 ing boards are necessary. Our 

 boards are of two lengths 18 and 

 12 in. In width they are 6^, 

 4)4, 3/4y 2 and i}4 in., with 

 body spaces ^, ^, }(, }i and -^g 

 in. wide respectively. Below the 

 groove a strip of cork should be 

 glued to hold the pin which has been put through the central 

 portion of the thorax of the insect. When mounted, the insect 

 should be high up on the pin, about one fourth of the pin 

 above the specimen. The wings of butterflies and moths 

 should be arranged as shown in fig. 4, the lower margins of the 

 front wings forming as nearly as possible a straight line. With 

 fine needles the wings can be brought forward and held in place 

 by strips of writing paper or thin cardboard. No. 00 insect pin 

 cut in two and the blunt end forced nearly all the way into half 

 a match, makes a splendid setting needle. These pins are very 

 fine and when used carefully to pierce the wings to hold them in 

 position, the holes made are so small that they are practically 

 invisible afterwards. Specimens should be kept on the spreading 

 board at least a week or ten days, and 

 the boards may be hung in rows on a 

 wall, if a hook of some kind is screwed 

 into the top of each. 



If it is not convenient to mount 

 the specimens immediately alter their 

 capture, these can be put in envelopes 

 and then stored away in a tin box until 



the opportunity arrives when they can ^^' 5- 



, , , , , T-. , Method of foldine paper for 



be relaxed and spread. Fig. 5 shows envelope. First fold on the line 



the pattern of envelope used by ento- A B, then on A D and CB, and 



, . - . , . then on B F and E A. 



mologists tor papermg their captures. 



