78 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Turf plates for Cabinkt Drawers. — I am arranging my collection 

 in a new cabinet of seventy drawers, which I have lined with the German 

 turf plates instead of cork. Perhaps it would be interesting to entomolo- 

 gists to know the result of my experience of this comparatively new sub- 

 stitute for cork. I did the lining myself. First, I reduced the plates to 

 about half-an-inch thick. 1 found the best way to do this was to put the 

 plates in a wooden tray just large enough to hold them, which I had made 

 for the purpose, with a rim half-an-inch high all round. Any part of the 

 plate which stood above the rim could thus be pared off with a sharp knife, 

 and then smoothed down with a piece of No. IJ glass paper. Next I 

 trimmed each edge with a thin knife, the edges are liable to crumble if the 

 knife is too thick. I found an old dinner knife the best. Then I cut the 

 plates to fit the drawer, and used glue not too thin, as the turf soaks it up 

 rapidly. I applied the glue to the bottom of the drawers, not to each plate, 

 as the less one wets the plate the better. When glued in they must be 

 weighted down until dry. When dry I rubbed over the plates again lightly 

 with fine glass-paper, fastened to a flat piece of wood. Any holes, or 

 cracks, can be filled up with some of the fine dust of the turf, mixed to a 

 paste with strong parchment size. Next I gave them a coating of strong 

 size whitening, and before it got cold, rubbed it over well with a piece of 

 flat smooth wood, or better still, stone, so as to get the whitening well into 

 the pores of the turf. When this is dry, smooth it down with No. 1 glass- 

 paper. The drawer is then ready for papering, and has a smoother surface 

 than ever obtained with cork. When it comes to putting in the insects, I 

 have found no hard places, such as there are in cork, so the pins go 

 in easily anywhere. Turf being thicker than cork and quite soft all through, 

 one can push down as far as one can wish any insect set high on the pin, 

 and bring it on a level with one that has the pin only just through it. This 

 I find a very great advantage, as in exchanging one gets so many different 

 styles of setting, some high on the pins some low.- I was afraid at first that 

 turf was not elastic enough to hold a pin firmly, but I find that the coat- 

 ing of whitening, together with the paper, makes just as good a hold for the 

 pin as cork. On the whole, 1 consider turf plates a great improvement on 

 cork ; and should always recommend them for cabinets. — William Farren ; 

 14, King's Parade, Cambridge. [We should like to have the opinion of 

 those who have used turf for some time, especially in connection with 

 ordinary brass pins. — J. T. C] 



General Index to the 'Entomologist.' 



A desire has been expressed for a General Index to the Volumes of the 

 ' Entomologist ' for the last Twenty-five years, and including Vol. I. 

 (1840-'2). Such an index, framed according to the rules of the Index 

 Society, based on the examination, by an Entomologist, of every page, 

 and not merely a compilation from the existing indexes, would be of great 

 value to workers, as saving much time. It would, however, be of value to 

 the few rather than to the many, and so would not be likely to command a 

 large sale. It is for those who desire such an index to give practical 

 evidence of their desire by expressing willingness to subscribe for copies, 

 and to this end attention is called to the accompanying circular. 



