36 



FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT 



f^'s-19] of cork or pith, in which to fasten the 



pins, may then be tacked or glued below 

 so as to cover the intervening space. The 

 braces must be deep enough to prevent 

 the pins from touching anytliing the 

 ^fc stretcher may be laid on ; and by attach- 

 ing a ring or loop to one of them, the 

 |p^9 stretcher may be hung against a wall, out 

 j|=r ^ of the way. For ordinary-sized specimens 

 I use boards 2 feet long, 3 inches wide and ^ inch thick, with three 

 braces (one in the middle and one at each end) 1^ inches deep at the 

 ends, but narrowing from each end to 1 1-6 inches at the middle. 

 This slight rising from the middle is to counteract the tendency of the 

 wings, however well dried, to drop a little after the insect is placed 

 in the cabinet. The wings are held in position by means of strips of 

 paper (Fig. 19) until dry. For stretching the wings, and for many 

 other purposes, a handled needle will be found useful. Split off, with 

 the grain, a piece of pine wood three or four inches long; hold it in 

 the right hand ; take a medium-sized needle in the leftJiand ; hold it 

 [Fig. 20.] upright with the point touching a walnut table, or other hard- 

 grained wood, and bring a steady pressure to bear on the pine. 

 The head of the needle will sink to any required distance into 

 the pine, which may then be whittled off, and you have just the 

 thing you want (Fig. 20). To obtain uniformity in the position 

 of the wings, a good rule is to have the inner margins of the 

 front wings as nearly as possible on a straight line (Fig. 19). 

 When the specimens are thoroughly stiff and dry, they should 

 be taken from the stretcher and kept for several weeks in the 

 drying box before being permanently placed in the cabinet. 

 The drying box is simply a box of any required dimensions, con- 

 taining a series of shelves on which to pin the specimens, and 

 without a solid back or front. The back is covered on the in- 

 side with fine gauze, and on the outside with coarser wire, and 

 the door in front consists of a close-fitting frame of the same 

 material — the object being to allow free passage of air, but at 

 the same time to keep out dust and prevent the gnawings of mice and 

 other animals. The shelves should be not less than two inches deep, 

 and if made in the form of a quadrangular frame, braced with (wo 

 cross-pieces on which to tack sheet cork, they will serve for the double 

 purpose of drying spread specimens, and for the spreading of others; 

 as there are many insects with long legs, which are more conveniently 

 spread on such a board, by means of triangular pieces of stiff card- 

 board braces or " saddles," than on the stretcher already described. 

 Two of these braces are fixed on the setting board, by means of 

 stout pins, at sufficient distances apart to receive the body between 

 them. The wings are then spread upon them and kept in place, until 

 dry, by means of additional braces. 



