76 WOBK AT HOME AND IN THE FIELD 



have no difficulty in seciu-ing a few ' tin ' boxes of suitable size, 

 but, as the surface of the metal is very smooth, you should always 

 introduce a few leaves or something else that will provide a foot- 

 hold for the inmates. 



The last item of the outfit is the pins. Ordinary draper's pins 

 are quite out of the question. They are far too thick and clumsy for 

 the collector's work. If you are not already acquainted with the 

 ' entomological pins,' you had better ask a dealer to give you a 

 sample card. This will be very useful for reference until you 

 become well acquainted with the various lengths, thicknesses, 

 numbers and prices. The card will contain one of each kind, with 

 price and number attached. 



If you fix a butterfly with the ordinary pin, you may find the 

 latter partly covered over with verdigris after a time. This bright 

 green substance is formed by the action of decomposing animal 

 matter on the copper of the pin, and gives a very unsightly appear- 

 ance to the specimen. To avoid this the entomological pins are 

 either silvered, blackened or gilded. The silvered pins tarnish 

 after a time, but the two other kinds keep their colour well, and 

 are therefore better. The gilded ones are rather expensive and un- 

 necessary, and perhaps the black ones are to be preferred to the 

 silvered, although they are rather more costly. 



Most dealers will sujiply you with a box of mixed pins, each box 

 containing about six different sizes. This is very convenient for 

 those who work in a rather small way ; but if 3'ou intend to make 

 entomology a prolonged study jou had better get an ounce or so of 

 each of the more useful sizes. 



Butterflies vary much in size, and Nos. 8 to 8 are the most 

 useful sizes of pins to fix them ; No. 3 being for the largest, and 8 

 for the smallest. 



Supposing all the foregoing requisites to be quite ready, still you 

 are really by no means prepared for all your work. The butterflies 

 captured should be set as soon as possible after your return, and 

 everything required for this part of the work must be in perfect 

 trim. Yet I think it will be moi'e convenient just now to confine 

 our attention to the subject of ' Catching Butterflies,' leaving all 

 the indoor work to form tlie substance of another chapter. Our 

 next point, then, sliall be tlie consideration of seasons, times, and 

 localities. 



The earliest of the butterflies make tlieir appearance on the 

 wing in April, or, if the weather is mild, towards the end of March ; 



