188 ELEMENTARY LESSONS ON INSECTS 



cotton, as above directed, may be kept indefinitely in any 

 kind of boxes if sealed and made pest proof and kept in a 

 dry place. 



Spreading. — For purposes of display of 

 beautiful butterflies, moths, dragonflies and 

 other showy-winged insects, nothing adds so 

 much to the appearance of a collection as the 

 proper spreading of their wings. This requires 

 a spreading board, on which the wings may be 

 arranged and held until dry in proper position. 

 They must be symmetrically placed on the two 

 sides of the body. The hind margins of the fore 

 wings should be on a line at right angles to the 

 axis of the body, with the hind wings drawn 

 forward to meet them properly. 



There are two standard forms of spreading 

 board. The simpler one has a row of holes down 

 its face half an inch deep. On this board the 

 insect, with the pin inserted, is placed upside 

 down, with the head of the pin at the bottom of 

 of one of the holes. The wings are drawn for- 

 ward to proper position for display, and are 

 held there under strips of paper pinned across 

 them. The legs and antennae are arranged in position 

 easily on this type of board. The other sort of board 

 is grooved, and the body of the insect is placed in the 

 groove, right side up, its wing bases on a level with the 

 edges of the groove. The wings are spread and held in 



Fig. 67.— A 

 very simple 

 spreading board, 

 on which insects 

 are placed up- 

 side down, ex- 

 panded and dried 

 in that position. 



