﻿43.— 
  SETTING 
  WITHOUT 
  BOARDS. 
  

   (Plate 
  LVI) 
  

  

  By 
  T. 
  Bainbrigge 
  Fletcher, 
  E.N., 
  F.L.S., 
  F.E.S., 
  F.Z.S., 
  Imperial 
  

  

  EntomoJogist. 
  

  

  At 
  our 
  last 
  Meeting, 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  on 
  Collecting 
  Insects, 
  I 
  described 
  a 
  

   method 
  of 
  rough-and-ready 
  setting 
  of 
  such 
  insects 
  as 
  grasshoppers 
  by 
  

   the 
  aid 
  of 
  small 
  pieces 
  of 
  card 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  pin 
  of 
  the 
  specimen 
  

   is 
  passed 
  and 
  on 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  pegged 
  out 
  with 
  small 
  pins. 
  

   Such 
  a 
  method 
  was 
  not 
  intended 
  to 
  supersede 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  setting 
  boards 
  

   and 
  was 
  only 
  meant 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  occasional 
  specimens 
  when 
  travelling. 
  

   It 
  has 
  also 
  the 
  obvious 
  disavantage 
  that 
  it 
  is" 
  only 
  applicable 
  with 
  any 
  

   success 
  to 
  small 
  insects 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  (or, 
  more 
  exactly, 
  

   the 
  vertical 
  distance 
  between 
  the 
  lower 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  and 
  the 
  

   lower 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  Aving) 
  is 
  inconsiderable 
  ; 
  where 
  this 
  distance 
  is 
  

   appreciable, 
  as 
  in 
  a 
  medium-sized 
  or 
  large 
  dragonfly, 
  the 
  wing 
  is 
  distorted 
  

   downwards 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  pegged 
  or 
  braced 
  onto 
  the 
  card, 
  the 
  result 
  being 
  

   that 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  is 
  not 
  flat, 
  as 
  it 
  should 
  be. 
  This 
  difficulty 
  

   can 
  be 
  overcome 
  very 
  simply 
  by 
  setting 
  the 
  specimen 
  with 
  the 
  upper 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  braced 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  card. 
  The 
  procedure 
  is 
  quite 
  

   simple 
  and 
  success 
  is 
  easily 
  attained 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  practice. 
  A 
  piece 
  of 
  

   thin 
  card 
  or 
  moderately 
  thick 
  glazed 
  writing 
  paper 
  is 
  cut 
  to 
  the 
  approxi- 
  

   mate 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  extended 
  wings 
  and 
  on 
  one 
  corner 
  of 
  this 
  are 
  written 
  

   the 
  data 
  for 
  the 
  specimen. 
  The 
  pin 
  for 
  the 
  specimen 
  is 
  then 
  passed 
  

   through 
  the 
  card 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  specimen 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  pinned 
  

   and 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  pin 
  (which 
  is 
  grasped 
  by 
  its 
  head 
  with 
  the 
  forceps) 
  

   is 
  passed 
  downwards 
  through 
  the 
  thorax 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  which 
  is 
  then 
  

   pushed 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  pin 
  until 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  of 
  its 
  thorax 
  is 
  squarely 
  

   against 
  the 
  card. 
  The 
  pin 
  is 
  then 
  grasped 
  point 
  upwards 
  with 
  the 
  left 
  

   hand 
  and 
  held 
  alongside 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  cork 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  wings 
  on 
  

   one 
  side 
  (with 
  the 
  card 
  beneath 
  them) 
  project 
  over 
  and 
  arc 
  supported 
  

   by 
  the 
  cork. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  easy 
  to 
  extend 
  the 
  wings 
  and 
  to 
  brace 
  them 
  

   down 
  with 
  paper 
  strips 
  pinned 
  into 
  the 
  card, 
  still 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  cork. 
  

   When 
  both 
  wings 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  are 
  spread 
  out, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  difficulty 
  in 
  

   removing 
  the 
  card 
  from 
  the 
  cork, 
  leaving 
  the 
  brace-pins 
  sufficiently 
  

   firmly 
  attached 
  in 
  the 
  card. 
  The 
  other 
  pair 
  of 
  wings 
  is 
  then 
  set 
  out 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  way, 
  if 
  required. 
  The 
  specimen 
  is 
  now 
  pinned 
  into 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  

   the 
  store-box, 
  so 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  box 
  is 
  closed 
  the 
  specimen 
  is 
  upside- 
  

   down 
  and 
  the 
  body 
  tends 
  to 
  lie 
  flat 
  on 
  the 
  card, 
  which 
  bears 
  the 
  data 
  

  

  ( 
  331 
  ) 
  

  

  