APIIORISM.VTA ENTOMOLOGICA. 11 



tlic subject of entomological pins. "Item/' — The pins used for the card 

 braces should be cither the long lace ones^ which hold tight in the 

 eork, and are very sharp pointed^ or the large common ones^ which I 

 find even still better. 



'^''Au revoir." The third, the "grand climacteric," is to be essayed as 

 follows: — If you can turn, I mean turn wood, in a lathe, yourself, you 

 can make the required apparatus for yourself; but, if not, you can 

 readily have it made for you by any turner: see the plate. 



There are different modes of turning these pieces of wood, but the 

 choice of these you must leave to the turner; suffice it to say, that if 

 turned in the first instance in an oblong oval shape, each of these may 

 be cut into four pieces of the proper sort for the extending woods. 

 There is also a way of making them without employing a turner at all. 

 Go into a carpenter's shop, or into your own if you have one, and 

 plane down flat strips of wood round on each side: this in the various 

 stages is depicted in the plate. Then, with a "plough" plane, run a 

 groove along the centre of it, next cut it into suitable lengths, and 

 finally, with a ^^spoke-shave," shade it off down to one side — the one to 

 be next you when setting the insect — cutting off all the edges square, 

 as presently to be described in the case of the turned pieces of a 

 similar shape. They must moreover, in whichever way they are made, 

 be of different sizes, say two inches long by one and a half wide, three 

 by two wide, four by two and a half, and so on. 



They may be made of any wood, but common deal is the best, for 

 several reasons: first, it is the cheapest; secondly, it is the most easily to 

 be procured; thirdly, it is soft, and will admit of a pin being easily 

 stuck into it; and fourthly, it is, though perfectly smooth when turned, 

 rather rough when sawn through, which as presently shewn will have to be 

 done. The advantage of the last-named particular is, that the threads, 

 when wound round the insect, have a hold, and do not slip. If the 

 Avood is hard, fine-grained, and smooth, the edges must have little notches 

 filed or cut into them, all the way round, to hold the threads. So 

 also as to a pin being easily stuck into it: this has an advantage, or, 

 it may be, a double advantage; as thus: — If the wood be very soft 

 and the pin a strong one, you can extend the insect on the roiinded 

 wood with ordinary card braces, as if on a piece of cork, and the wings 

 will thus, when dried, preserve the curved appearance so much admired 

 by English collectors. Also, if threads be used, you will find that un- 

 less very great care be used to wind the thread round as lightly as 



d 



