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  he 
  had 
  observed 
  XipkidiMm 
  varipenne 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers, 
  

   having 
  counted 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  thirty 
  or 
  forty 
  on 
  the 
  ceiHng 
  of 
  his 
  

   room. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Swezey 
  stated 
  that 
  since 
  writing 
  on 
  X. 
  varipenne, 
  he 
  had 
  

   observed 
  this 
  species 
  partaking 
  of 
  more 
  vegetable 
  food 
  than 
  he 
  

   had 
  formerly 
  supposed. 
  He 
  had 
  seen 
  it 
  eating 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  

   Lantana 
  quite 
  extensively, 
  showing 
  a 
  decided 
  taste 
  for 
  the 
  

   immature 
  stamens; 
  he 
  had 
  also 
  seen 
  it 
  devouring 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  

   the 
  wild 
  Canna, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  sugar-cane 
  leaf, 
  at 
  the 
  Experiment 
  

   Station. 
  

  

  Papers. 
  

  

  The 
  Chairman 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  by 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  C. 
  L. 
  Perkins, 
  enti- 
  

   tled: 
  "A 
  New 
  Method 
  of 
  Relaxing 
  and 
  Cleaning 
  Specimens," 
  and 
  

  

  exhibited 
  examples. 
  

  

  Anyone 
  who 
  has 
  had 
  an 
  extensive 
  experience 
  in 
  relaxing 
  and 
  

   mounting 
  dried 
  specimens 
  of 
  insects, 
  must 
  have 
  come 
  across 
  

   specimens 
  so 
  difficult 
  to 
  deal 
  with, 
  after 
  the 
  usual 
  methods 
  of 
  

   relaxing 
  have 
  been 
  tried 
  on 
  them, 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   mount 
  in 
  proper 
  style. 
  Anyone 
  of 
  ordinary 
  powers 
  of 
  observa- 
  

   tion 
  must 
  have 
  noticed 
  that 
  relaxation 
  is 
  greatly 
  facilitated 
  by 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  napthaline 
  in 
  the 
  relaxing 
  jar. 
  Further, 
  it 
  is 
  obvious 
  

   that 
  that 
  most 
  valuable, 
  in 
  fact 
  indispensable, 
  preservative 
  of 
  

   insects, 
  carbolic 
  acid, 
  tends 
  to 
  make 
  specimens 
  more 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   relax, 
  by 
  inducing 
  a 
  wire-like 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  limbs. 
  

  

  At 
  various 
  times 
  Dr. 
  Sharp 
  and 
  ;nyself 
  came 
  across 
  spec- 
  

   imens, 
  amongst 
  my 
  Hawaiian 
  collections, 
  in 
  this 
  condition, 
  and 
  

   we 
  were 
  forced 
  to 
  be 
  content 
  to 
  simply 
  pin 
  up 
  such 
  specimens 
  

   without 
  expanding 
  the 
  limbs, 
  antennae, 
  etc. 
  Lately 
  I 
  discovered 
  

   a 
  misplaced 
  box 
  of 
  Tantalus 
  beetles, 
  collected 
  in 
  1902 
  and 
  not 
  

   seen 
  since, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  become 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  dense 
  growth 
  

   of 
  mould, 
  and 
  were 
  in 
  an 
  apparently 
  hopeless 
  condition. 
  Wishing 
  

   to 
  clean 
  them, 
  at 
  least 
  sufficiently 
  for 
  a 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  

   species, 
  I 
  tried 
  various 
  methods 
  without 
  any 
  great 
  results, 
  till 
  I 
  

   finally 
  hit 
  upon 
  the 
  following 
  method. 
  In 
  a 
  tumbler 
  of 
  nearly 
  

   boiling 
  water 
  place 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  soap 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  a 
  large 
  pea, 
  and 
  a 
  

   small 
  spoonful 
  of 
  pure 
  napthaline, 
  stir 
  till 
  the 
  soap 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  

   dissolved 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  least 
  milky. 
  While 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  

   still 
  very 
  hot 
  — 
  too 
  hot 
  for 
  one 
  to 
  keep 
  one's 
  hand 
  on 
  the 
  glass 
  — 
  

   put 
  in 
  the 
  mouldy 
  or 
  stubborn 
  beetles 
  and 
  cover 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  