THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 139 



better way is to ask questions, as Mr. A. M. Brown and Mr. 

 Kynaston have done, and they will be sure to elicit useful 

 replies, and not the less useful because a slight difference of 

 opinion may occasionally find expression. I trust I shall 

 always be ready to give the best counsel within my reach ; 

 and if not in my own personal possession, it is certain to be 

 within the reach of one or other of my numerous readers. — 

 Edward Newman.'] 



Preserving Larvce. — Perha))s the alum solution employed 

 by Mr. Sharp was not sufficiently strong, for after steeping 

 larvae in it 1 have always found their skins hard enough to 

 prevent unnatural distention, when subjected only to very 

 slight pressure. — H. A. Aitkl. 



Preserving Caterpillars. — I am sure Mr. Auld will pardon 

 my suggesting one or two slight improvements which may be 

 made in his mode of preserving larvae (Entom. ix. 78, April). 

 When I first began to practise this branch of Entomology, 

 I did so from Mr. Auld's instructions, but I soon discovered 

 two points on which there appeared a need for improvement. 

 The first difficulty was with the two pieces of watch-spring 

 affixed to the blowpipe, for, however well they were fastened, 

 they were sure very soon to become sufficiently loose to slip 

 either too much on one side or the other; or sometimes they 

 were so tight that the skin of the last segment was broken ; 

 or else they did not fit sufficiently close to keep the distended 

 skin air-tight when blown into. To get rid of this difficulty 

 a very simple remedy suggested itself to Mr. S. L, Mosley, of 

 this town, namely, to use fine cotton or silk instead of watch- 

 spring: the cotton is simply wrapped round the blowpipe a 

 few times, one fold, then being wound round the very 

 smallest bit of the last segment, which is sufficient to hold it 

 much more closely and firmly than the watch-spring does. 

 The other difficulty I had was with what Mr. Auld terms the 

 " oven." With his plan I found it rather difficult to get a 

 sufficient amount of heat inside ; but a still greater objection 

 arose from the necessity of holding the face quite over it 

 when blowing, which made it impossible to work long without 

 feeling that one's eyes would soon be almost burnt out. In 

 place of this I dispensed with the "oven," and simply placed 

 over the tripod-stand a flat ])iece of fine wire gauze, through 

 which, of course, however near the lamp may be placed 



