32 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



withdraw the pin. This being effected, and whilst it is held by 

 the finger and thumb, I select a silver pin, if possible of the 

 same thickness as the old pin which has been removed, but if 

 I have not one handy then I use one which is thinner than the 

 old pin, and repin the specimen, inserting the new pin in the Jiole 

 that the old one was taken out of. It is important that the new 

 pin should not be thicker than the old pin, or forcing it in the 

 specimeD will almost certainly result in breaking up the thorax. 

 If the new pin is of the same thickness as the old one it will 

 adhere firmly to the thorax, but, of course, if it is thinner a little 

 cement will be required upon the pin to make it fast. Any 

 strong gum or cement will do for this ; I use fish-glue, applied 

 warm. 



The specimen being repinned, it can very easily be reset, 

 which, of course, must be done at once. I usually leave it on 

 the setting-board for one week, by Avhich time it is quite hard 

 and dry. 



Those specimens which are not sufficiently relaxed at the 

 end of twelve hours I leave in the zinc box until they are, 

 examining them every twelve hours. It will be found, however, 

 that very few examples are not ready to repin after being in 

 the relaxing box for twenty-four hours. 



It is most important that the specimens should not be too 

 much relaxed, or the result will be clogged fringes and other 

 kindred troubles. On the other hand, if the operator tries 

 pressure on the thorax before it is sufficiently soft, the result 

 will be that it will be fractured, and the specimen spoilt. It 

 takes a little experience to detect the right moment, but the 

 knowledge is soon acquired. Of the two errors, it is better to 

 try too soon than to wait too long ; all, or nearly all, my failures 

 have been with specimens too much relaxed. 



Having got our specimens repinned and reset, the next 

 process is to avoid the springing or moving of the wings, which 

 will almost invariably take place unless something is done 

 to stop it. My method is to subject them to the vapours of 

 formaldehyde. It has been known for some considerable period 

 that this substance has a remarkably hardening and fixing effect 

 on entomological specimens. So far as I know, however, it has 

 not yet been recommended for fixing those which have been 

 relaxed. My method is to take off the setting-boards a large 

 number of specimens ; pin them in a tuildly fitting store- box, 

 putting in a small saucer containing about a teaspoonful of 

 formaldehyde ; and then close the box and stand it aside for a 

 fortnight or three weeks ; the formaldehyde will require renew- 

 ing as it evaporates. 



After going through this process, the moths operated upon 

 can be replaced in the collection as cured. 



During the last few years I have repinned many hundreds, 



