PRESERVATION OF INSECTS. 379 



deal being apt to split or warp. The doors ought to 

 have velvet glued round the edges, to keep out dust 

 and small insects. The bottoms of the drawers are 

 lined with sheet cork, about a sixth of an inch in 

 thickness, made uniformly smooth by filing, and having 

 white paper pasted over it. 



Where a cabinet has not been procured, collectors 

 make use of store boxes, made on the principle of a 

 backgammon board, each leaf being about two inches 

 deep, and lined with cork and paper. These are 

 convenient, also, for travellers sending home insects 

 from a distance. 



The specimens are best arranged in columns from 

 top to bottom of the drawers, with the names attached 

 to each. We are unwilling, amidst the great variety 

 of systems, to recommend any particular one as the 

 best ; and prefer leaving our readers to choose for 

 themselves, by giving the outlines of the principal 

 classifications which have been proposed from the 

 earliest times till the present day. 



