28 ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY CIRCULAR 39 



pieces of paper over them and pin them down securely with large 

 pins inserted close to the wings but not through them. Here you 

 may use large common pins, but still better are the large-headed 

 dressmaker's pins about 1*4 inches long. Finally, remove the 

 original adjusting pins and put the specimen in a dry, pestproof 

 container for 2 or 3 weeks. It will then have set sufficiently to 

 be removed from the board. 



For good results, spreading boards with grooves of various 

 widths are necessary, and a specimen should be spread on that 

 board the groove of which best fits the insect body. The width of 

 the top pieces should vary to accommodate different wing spreads. 

 The slope of the top pieces should be about as described. 



HOW TO LABEL THE SPECIMENS 



To be useful to the entomologist and others interested in the 

 scientific relations of insects, as well as to furnish the collector 

 with a complete record of his hours in the field and make more 

 valuable the work he has already accomplished, the specimens 

 should be labeled. The important information to be put on the 

 label is the locality and date of capture, but greater value will be 

 attached to the specimen from a scientific point of view by adding 

 the name of the collector, the host on which the insect was found. 

 or the particular habitat preference. 



Labels should be made of a good grade of white paper stiff 

 enough to hold a flat surface when cut up and raised on a pin. 

 Most satisfactory is a "substance 36 ledger." The labels may be 

 printed by hand with a crow-quill pen and black India ink, or they 

 may be purchased completely or partially printed from a biologi- 

 cal supply house. 



The labels should be as small as possible, and of nearly a 

 uniform size. They should be run about half way up the pin, but 

 not too near the specimen, and they should project from the pin 

 in the same direction as the specimen, as shown in fig. 14. 



HOUSING THE COLLECTION PERMANENTLY 



Insect Boxes 



After the specimens have been pinned and labeled, they 

 should be housed in boxes or cases having a soft bottom or inner 

 layer that will allow easy pinning. Such housing not only insures 



