PREBBRVINQ /.\- 



gammed thickly a space on your card-board equal i 

 least, the entire specimen when expanded, place the !>• 

 nponit, dragoul the limbs with a pin, and, leaving il to dry, 

 ii with the n< thai presents itself. As the card 



has to be cul afterwards around your in i as to suit 



it), there is no advantage in gumming it precisely straight 

 upon your frame, — though it is true thai :i certain amount 

 of care in this respecl lessens your after-labor of cutting of! 

 very materially. \\ ben your frame has been filled, and you 

 are desirous of separating the species, cul out the in£ 

 with finely-pointed scissors. y> 



For mending broken insects, i.e., gumming on legs and 

 antenna? which have fallen off, inspissated ox-gall, softened 

 with a little water, is the besl gum. 



For gumming ii apon cards, Mr. Wbllaston recom- 



mends a gum "composed of three parts of tragacanth to 

 one of Arabic, l>"th in powder; to be mixed in water con- 

 taining a irrain of corn sublimate, without which it 

 will not keep, until of a consistency just thick enough to 

 run. As the gum is of an extremely absorbent nature, 

 nearly a fortnight is required before it can be properly 

 made. The best plan is to keep adding a little water, and 

 stirring it every few days, until it is of the proper i 

 Bistency. It is advisable to dissolve the grain of corrosive 

 sublimate in the wain- which is poured first upon the gum. 



Preservative Fluids. — The best for common use is alco- 

 hol, at first diluted with as much wat< ; weak whiskey. 

 as alcohol of full strength is too strong for caterpillars, 

 etc.. since it shrivels them up. The spirits should afl 

 wards be changed for alcohol of full strength for permanent 

 preservation. Glycerine is excellent for preserving the 

 colors of caterpillars, though the internal par some- 



what, and the specimen is apt to fall to crag 



roughly handled. 



Laboulbene recommends, for the pn ii - te 



in a fresh state, plunging them in a pr fluid ■ 



sisting of alcohol with an exec— acid in frag- 



