RELAXING INSECTS FOR CABINET. 357 



P. gom'ocephalus, ?, pro-thor. comb with 15 teeth, x 100. 



Ditto, maxilla, with 5 genal spines, x 100. 



Ditto, pygidium, with last abdominal segment, x 100. 



Ditto, ditto, showing hairs which spring from areolae, x 750. 



Ditto, portion of pygidium, showing areolae, x 750. 



Ditto, areolae of pygidium, x 1500. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVI. 



Fig. 1. — Antenna of Flea from dog, Pulex erinacei. 



2. — Pygidium of Pulex goniocephalus, showing hairs which spring 

 from areolae. 



3. — Larva of Flea from Cat. 



4. — Pulex avium, ^ . Portion of head, with antennae. 



5. — Complete mouth-organs of Pulex erinacei, showing serrated 

 tongue as well as mandible, x 100. 



6. — Serrated mandible of Pulex goniocephalus, x 200. 



J) 



)) 



IRelaying 3n0ect0 for Cabinet 



By G. H. Bryan, M.A. 



1HAVE not tried the effect of naphtha as recommended in the 

 extract from the E7itomologisf s Record, quoted on p. 226 of 

 this Journal, but I have tried shellac, and I have also tried 

 removing the insects from the setting board, both at the end of 

 twenty-four hours and after a few days or a week, and I can there- 

 fore state from experience that there is no surer way of rendering 

 valuable insects worthless as cabinet specimens. Shellac disfigures 

 the bases of the wings, and is at the same time no safeguard 

 against springing, and the only relaxed insects which I have had to 

 destroy in my collection on account of the wings having "sprung" 

 so hopelessly as to ruin them were some that I fixed with shellac 

 many years ago. There is no "royal road" to relaxing insects. 



As far as my experience goes, I find the best plan is to pour a 

 layer of plaster of Paris into the bottom of a biscuit-tin and keep 

 the plaster well moistened, and place the insects over this. It is 



