ON COLLECTING, PREPARATION, AND MOUNTING. 379 



arily, but firmly, held in this position by gentle pressure, either by an 

 entomological pin or stiff bristle inserted in cork, and used as a sort of 

 pressure-bar, or by the careful manipulation of a soft silk thread. Hav- 

 ing arranged matters so, brush out the legs and antennae with a delicate 

 sable brush, or the "sportsman's feather" from a woodcock's wing. 

 When in correct position, brush them over with a slight moistening 

 of absolute alcohol, and allow it to remain for a short time, say until 

 two or three more insects are similarly treated. The effect of this 



f 



Fig. 348. Simple arrangement for dissecting specimens under a magnifying-glass, or for 

 mounting smcdl specimens for the microscope. 



brushing with alcohol is to stiffen the legs into their desired position. 

 Then remove the insect, and place it on a card in seccotine. It is of 

 course advisable to do the preparation referred to under a lens or 

 magnifying-glass, as in fig. 348. 



Hitherto the setting of insects has been considered, but it must be 

 remembered that many of the specific characters are very minute, and 

 also that the major portion of forest entomology is purely a micro- 

 scopical study. Hence, though it is impossible to give anything like 



