FACTS I.V METEOROLOCa'. 11 



with one end drawn to a very fine point. Plunge this into the .sohilion 

 — a portion of it will rise- into the tube by capillary attraction — then 

 insert it into the breast of the insert and blow into the other end, and 

 your butlerlly is dead. Otlier soft insects may be treated in the same 

 way. 



How to preserve insects. — All collections are subject to llie depreda- 

 tions of other little insects (Dermestidac^ Jlnthrenidac., &jC.) Their 

 presence may be detected by a little pile of fine dust on the bottom of 

 the box just below the insect they have attacked. This insect must be 

 inmiediately taken out and immersed into hot w^ater or strong alcohol, 

 if a beetle, and the depradator will be destroyed. If a butterfly, alcohol 

 may be dropped into the hole which has been bored into its body, or 

 the villainous thief may be shaken out. Some recommend pieces of 

 camphor in the boxes and turpentine dropped on cotton, l)ut if you keep 

 your insects in closely fitting boxes and examine them once a week or 

 so, }-ou can keep your collection clean. Put no insects in your cabinet 

 received from correspondents, until you are sure that they are not infes- 

 ted with these little pests; or you may introduce a swarm of ravagcrs 

 which it will require months to get rid of. 



I shall resume this subject in the next number. J. G. M. 



FACTS IN METEOROLOGY. 



BY PROF. JACOBS, OF PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE. 



1. W hat is Meteorology ? It is that branch of JSatural Philoso- 

 phy, which takes notice of all the changes which occur in the atmos- 

 pliere. From an extensive collection of facts, it endeavors to derive the 

 laws which govern these changes. 



2. .fire the atmospheric changes governed hy any fixed, laws? Just 

 as much so as any other material phenomena. The Earth has its laws 

 of rotation and annual revolution round the Sun, the Planets have theirs, 

 and the Moon, though apparently very irregular in its motions, has hers; 

 so also have storms, and clouds, and rains, and sun-shine theirs. The 

 phases of the Moon, and the prominent facts relative to her monthly 

 revolution round the Earth have long been known by tlie mass of man- 

 kind ; and the knowledge of these has always been turned to profitable 

 account. The most prominent facts also concerning the changes in the 

 atmosphere, such as the changes attendant upon Summer and Winter, 

 Spring and Autunm, have always been known, and men have sought to 

 acconunodalf; themselves to them. But the minor movements in (lie 

 lunar revolution.-:', which at first a]»pearcd irregular and lawless, have 



