ON COLLECTING, PREPARATION, AND MOUNTING. 379 



Having hatched or collected the special insects, now conies the 

 question of setting and storing ; and to follow this out properly, the 

 student unfortunately requires leisure and money. At the same time, 

 it is no exaggeration to say that the real charm of the study hegins at 

 this stage. 



With regard to the actual setting, it will, of course, vary with the 

 family of insects, and also with the size of the individuals. Suppose 

 we begin with any of the larger moths, the usual style of setting- 

 boards with braces and pins may be adopted, or the style of setting 

 with glass, suggested by Mr ISTewstead and recommended by Mr Day, 

 late of Knutsford, Cheshire. In lieu of the cardboard braces, I would 

 recommend strips of transparent tracing-paper as being lighter, and 

 also as showing the wing in position with more reliable accuracy. The 

 setting of the smaller moths (micros) is more difficult, and it would be 

 well to get a few practical hints from any worker in this group. 



It is, of course, advisable to have the smaller moths well relaxed 

 before attempting to set theni. They should be handled as carefully 

 as possible, and braced down either with tracing-paper, bristles, or silk 

 thread and pins. 



As regards beetles, the larger-sized specimens — the set specimens — 

 may be often seen with a pin through the body, and slightly raised 

 above the surface of the store-box ; or otherwise the individual beetles, 

 may be mounted on a small card, and a pin placed through the card. 

 The latter method is obviously the neatest. In either case, the setting 

 is practically the same. First of all, see that the insect is well re- 

 laxed, brush the legs and antennas carefully out with a delicate red 

 sable brush, and fix the body and appendages well down on paper 

 with gum-tragacanth or gum-arabic. "When it has stood for a con- 

 siderable time, until the body is perfectly stiff, float it off in water, 

 and then finally transfer it to a clean card, and fix it carefully down 

 with seccotine squeezed out of the tube and thinned down with a little 

 glacial acetic acid. 



The smaller-sized beetles are, of course, more difficult to deal with, 

 and the following hints may be given. First get the insect well re- 

 laxed, and place the creature, under side upwards, on a very soft bed, 

 with a slight depression to receive the insect. There are two classes 

 of beds which may be recommended — viz., a piece of sheet cork, or 

 perhaps better still, a well-dried portion of the white fungus from 

 dead birch, known as Polyporus. The small insect must be tempov- 



