ON SETTING LEPIDOPTERA UNPINNED. 131 



various languages, all over the world for that purpose, by means 

 of captains and others. Soon after his decease, at an advanced 

 age, his valuable collection was disposed of in London by public 

 auction. The sale occupied three days, and was by much the 

 most considerable one of its kind ever known, producing about 

 ;£650 ; one single insect in it selling for no less a sum than 

 twelve guineas."* We entomologists have been subjected to a 

 good deal of light banter from the ' Times ' and other papers in 

 reference to the prices fetched at the recent sale of Mr. Harper's 

 collection. It may be a consolation to us to learn that our great- 

 grandfathers exhibited a similar amiable weakness in this depart- 

 ment. It seems to me far more rational, or at any rate far 

 more excusable, to give thirteen guineas for a rare or beautiful 

 insect than ten or twenty times that sum for a bit of old ugly 

 china ! 



Clifton, Bristol, May 8, 1884. 



ON SETTING LEPIDOPTERA UNPINNED. 

 By George Coverdale. 



Some time ago it occurred to me that if we could prepare our 

 insects for the cabinet without pinning them through the thorax 

 several important advantages would be secured, especially in 

 reference to the smaller genera of the Micro-Lepidoptera, where 

 the difficulties of setting become so formidable that many are 

 deterred from entering upon the study of those most interesting 

 and beautiful creatures. 



The anticipated advantages were threefold. In the first 

 place the process of setting the insects would be much facilitated, 

 a large proportion of the difficulties encountered being due to 

 the action of the pin in displacing or destroying the muscles of 

 the thorax, and the wings thereby frequently thrown into awk- 

 ward and obstinate positions. Indeed, to pin a Nepticula at all 

 is not of the easiest accomplishment, and quite impossible to 

 some. Secondly, there being no pin through the insect, all 

 chance of verdigris would be removed. This danger, it is 

 true, is sufficiently met by the use of black pins, but these are 

 often soft and bending, occasionally pointless, and comparatively 



* The elder MacLeay bought lot 95 — a male Goliathus drurii — for £12 Is. QxL, 

 at the King Street auction rooms, on May 23rd, 1805, — E, A. T\ 



