610 



INSECTS ABROAD. 



this work the tricks of dealers have several times been lueii- 

 tioiied, and it is as well to know that artificial colouring is one 

 of them. The dealers treat the insects very much as foolish 

 ladies treat their hair when they wish to change its colour. 

 They first begin by discharging the original hue, and when the 

 wings are dry, paint them with any coloured dye that they may 

 think suitable. The insect is carefuily dried in a strong current 

 of air, so that the delicate hairs of the body may not adhere 

 together so as to betrny tlie deception. 



Mr. A. H. Butler, of the British Museum, has quite a collec- 

 tion of such Butterflies. They were dyed by himself, just to 

 show the amount of imposition which can be practised by skilful 

 and unscrupulous dealers. These, it must be understood, are 

 never the owners of the naturalists' shops, who are always 

 thoroughly honourable and trustworthy. But there are itine- 

 rant dealers, who are as great in insect forgeries as "Flint Jack" 

 was in antiquities, and who go about with their insect boxes 

 from one collector to anotlicr all over the counlrv. 



