1 8 THE BOOK OF BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



ordinary ones, and have very inconspicuous heads. 

 They are made in all sizes, to suit all sorts of insects. 

 Three very good sizes for most butterflies are Nos. 8, 9, and 

 10 ; but if they are going to be used for moths as well 

 as butterflies, it is perhaps a .good thing to buy them 

 mixed. Plain white mixed pins are is. an ounce, but 

 they can be obtained for double; the price gilt or covered 

 with black enamel, and these are worth the extra cost, 

 as grease will not act upon them. It must be 

 remembered that entomological pins will stand very 

 little pressure without bending, and that the points are 

 turned very easily, even by trying to push them through 

 glazed paper. 



Setting-needles, for arranging the wings, antennae, and 

 so on, are readily made by inserting the eye-end of an 

 ordinary sewing-needle in a twig of green wood. As 

 the wood dries it contracts, and the needle is firmly 

 held in position. 



We now come to the 'actual setting. The butterfly 

 should be held in the left hand by the under- side of 

 the body, and the pin thrust very carefully through 

 the centre of the thorax in a perfectly upright manner. 

 This is very important, as in a case a badly-pinned 

 butterfly spoils the look of a whole row. The insect is 

 now put on the board with the body nicely arranged 

 in the groove. , If the abdomen does not dispose itself 

 properly, it must be kept in position by pins stuck into 

 the board. Now comes the difficult part of setting- 

 the arranging of the wings without damaging them. Of 

 course, the simplest thing to do would be to bring one 

 wing into position and stick a fine pin through it; and 

 so on until all four were arranged. No doubt, in many 

 cases the holes so made in the wings would not be 

 apparent ; but in others they most certainly would, so 



