1875.1 t9 



sufh a siiiull spiico, that the natural position and s('])anitlon of the log;* from tliH 

 body is not ea*y, so after the setting is finished, I lie legs nuist still be turned outward 

 by means of strong needles, but with great care, the needles being plaeed as near to 

 the body as possible, because by this time the legs will bear moving only from the 

 base, being there not thoroughly dried. 



Small Hijmenoptera, for which the finest pins are too thick, have to be stuck 

 on fine silver wire, as Micro-Lepidoptera are, and mounted on pieces of the pith 

 of the Jerusalem artichoke (HeUanthus tuberosum) , or on birch-agaric (Polypovus 

 beliilinu.ij. 



For the sake of uniformity, these pieces should be cut to some pai'ticular measure 

 (about 1 cm. long, 2 to 3 mm. broad, and 3 mm. thick) ; these are stuck on pins, and 

 prepared at the beginning of the collecting season, in order to have supplies ready. 



These pieces of pith are placed on the pins so that the insects on them are at 

 the same height at the other insects arranged on pins (about two-thirds up the pin) ; 

 and the piece should be fastened on the under-side by means of a little gum, to 

 prevent its turning round. Whoever wishes to arrive at a higher state of perfection, 

 and to rival the Micro-Lepidopterists, may try to set these small insects (mostly 

 gall-flies, BraconidcB and PteromalidcBj before sticking them on to the pith. Tlie 

 smallest excepted, the larger ones would not offer much more of a diSiculty than, 

 perhaps, a Nepticula. The groove in the setting-boards for such insects, if filled up 

 with the above-named pith, offers the best medium for this purpose. Patience and 

 practice are here, as well as elsewhere, necessary ; and whoever has not, or does not 

 acquire, those essentials, or who contends that careful preservation, setting, &c., is 

 pedantic, will be obliged to renounce the Besthetic, as well as the most practical, use 

 of a Hymenoptera collection. 



If ilr. F. Smith was so charmed with his method of preparing Hymenoptera, which 

 left much imperfection, that he was ready to aft^Irm that a collection of insects pre- 

 pared according to his system, was " worth a pilgrimage to look at " (The Entomo- 

 logist's Annual, 1856, p. 106), even more could be maintained with regard to a 

 collection made up in the above way. 



It is easily to be understood that such a preservation as that above mentioned can 

 only be carried out when one is at home, or in some one place ibr any length of time. 



On long journeys, where the chief thing is to collect, and to bring the collection 

 into the smallest space possible, Hymenoptera can be immediately pinned, and then 

 stuck in a box which has been saturated with benzine ; or, after having first been 

 killed in the above way, they may likewise be piimed or packed between layers of 

 wadding, and the intermediate space strewn with camphor; they can afterwards 

 be relaxed, and then preserved, &c. Still they do not bear it as well as beetles and 

 butterflies do ; however, they bear it better than Diptera, which are only fit for 

 anything if immediately killed and pinned. — Dr. Kbiecubaumee, Munich. (Ex- 

 tracted from the Stettiner Eut. Zeitung, xxxvi, 88, 1875). 



Entomological Society of Lo.ndon: Zrd May, 1875. — Sir S. S. Sac.nuehs, 

 C.M.Q-., President, in the Chair. 



Prof. H. Bunncistcr was elected ifonorary Member to fill the vacancy caused 

 by the death of Prof. Zetierstedt. 



