﻿20 
  Mr. 
  Curtis 
  on 
  an 
  Apparatus 
  

  

  either 
  by 
  embowelling 
  the 
  larger 
  moths, 
  especially 
  the 
  males, 
  or 
  

   saturating 
  them 
  with 
  pure 
  spirits 
  of 
  turpentine 
  or 
  camphine, 
  and 
  

   then 
  covering 
  them 
  with 
  pipe-clay 
  or 
  magnesia* 
  The 
  last 
  plague 
  

   is 
  mouldlness 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  believe, 
  as 
  houses 
  and 
  villas 
  are 
  now 
  built 
  

   around 
  the 
  metropolis, 
  with 
  walls 
  one 
  brick 
  thick, 
  often 
  on 
  a 
  clay 
  

   soil, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  damp 
  and 
  wooded 
  districts, 
  this 
  disease 
  is 
  not 
  

   to 
  be 
  avoided. 
  In 
  the 
  various 
  houses 
  I 
  have 
  inhabited 
  in 
  the 
  

   west 
  end 
  of 
  London, 
  and 
  even 
  at 
  St. 
  John's-Wood, 
  my 
  collections 
  

   never 
  suffered 
  from 
  mould 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  I 
  resided 
  at 
  Hayes, 
  in 
  

   Middlesex, 
  on 
  a 
  tenacious 
  soil, 
  I 
  found 
  my 
  collections, 
  after 
  four 
  

   years, 
  suffering 
  so 
  extensively 
  from 
  mould, 
  that 
  1 
  determined 
  on 
  

   returning 
  to 
  town 
  ; 
  and, 
  by 
  regular 
  attention, 
  I 
  observe 
  it 
  is 
  fast 
  

   disappearing. 
  

  

  As 
  this 
  is 
  so 
  important 
  a 
  subject 
  to 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  scientific 
  friends 
  

   residing 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  I 
  made 
  it 
  one 
  of 
  my 
  objects, 
  in 
  visiting 
  the 
  

   museums 
  on 
  the 
  continent, 
  to 
  learn 
  the 
  best 
  means 
  of 
  restoring 
  a 
  

   mouldy 
  collection 
  to 
  a 
  clean 
  and 
  healthy 
  state 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  happy 
  

   in 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  communicate 
  a 
  mode, 
  safe, 
  cheap 
  and 
  expeditious. 
  

   Instead 
  of 
  washing 
  the 
  specimens 
  individually 
  with 
  alcohol, 
  or 
  sub- 
  

   mitting 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  vapour 
  of 
  bruised 
  laurel 
  leaves 
  — 
  by 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   cess 
  I 
  wish 
  to 
  submit 
  to 
  the 
  Society, 
  forty 
  drawers 
  may 
  be 
  cured 
  

   in 
  a 
  morning, 
  without 
  removing 
  a 
  single 
  specimen, 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  

   of 
  half 
  a 
  pint 
  of 
  alcohol. 
  

  

  My 
  friend 
  M. 
  Ghiliani 
  gave 
  me 
  permission 
  to 
  make 
  known 
  

   this 
  admirable 
  plan, 
  and 
  was 
  so 
  obliging 
  as 
  to 
  put 
  it 
  in 
  practice, 
  

   that 
  I 
  might 
  be 
  convinced 
  of 
  its 
  efficacy, 
  and, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  

   entirely 
  comprehend 
  the 
  process. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  box 
  of 
  large 
  mouldy 
  

   beetles, 
  &c., 
  which 
  was 
  subjected 
  to 
  the 
  operation, 
  and 
  in 
  three 
  

   minutes 
  every 
  specimen 
  was 
  freed 
  from 
  mould. 
  

  

  The 
  apparatus 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  stool, 
  a 
  pan 
  and 
  a 
  lamp, 
  which 
  I 
  

   will 
  now 
  describe. 
  (PI. 
  II.) 
  The 
  stool 
  (fig. 
  A.) 
  must 
  have 
  a 
  flat 
  

   top 
  (1), 
  larger 
  than 
  the„ 
  drawers 
  or 
  boxes 
  infected, 
  say 
  tv\o 
  feet 
  

   square 
  (C). 
  A 
  circular 
  hole 
  (2 
  ) 
  is 
  cut 
  in 
  the 
  centre, 
  large 
  enough 
  

   to 
  admit 
  a 
  tapering 
  pan 
  (B). 
  Round 
  this 
  aperture 
  is 
  a 
  square 
  

   frame 
  attached 
  (.'3), 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  broad, 
  and 
  one 
  and 
  a-half 
  

   inch 
  deep 
  ; 
  upon 
  two 
  sides 
  of 
  this 
  a 
  little 
  spline 
  (4) 
  is 
  fixed, 
  

   about 
  half-an-inch 
  square. 
  The 
  pan 
  (B) 
  should 
  be 
  of 
  block-tin, 
  

   four 
  and 
  a-half 
  inches 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  clear, 
  three 
  or 
  three 
  and 
  a-half 
  

   inches 
  broad 
  at 
  the 
  top, 
  with 
  a 
  rim 
  (5) 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  

   broad, 
  having 
  the 
  two 
  edges 
  slightly 
  raised. 
  A 
  small 
  hand- 
  

   lamp 
  (G), 
  with 
  oil 
  and 
  a 
  cotton-wick, 
  is 
  necessary, 
  and 
  three 
  or 
  

   four 
  pieces 
  of 
  wood, 
  like 
  bungs 
  (7). 
  

  

  • 
  All 
  these 
  remedies 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  Zoologist 
  and 
  other 
  periodicals. 
  

  

  