270 ENTOMOLOGY. 



side close to the body and placing them in the fluid. It is well to 

 soak them beforehand in alcohol, as saturation by the eau de Javelle 

 will then take place much more quickly. Then as soon as the wings 

 lose their color, so that the venation is plainly perceived, they are 

 soaked in water for an hour. A glass slide is then pushed under the 

 wings and they are lifted out of the water. This is done so as to 

 make the upper and lower wings lie close together in the middle of 

 the slide, which is then dried. The bases of large wings can be 

 fastened with a drop of warm liquid solution of isinglass. After the 

 wings are entirely dry, a thin rectangular piece of glass, somewhat 

 larger than the extent of the wings, is placed over them. According 

 to the thickness of the wings, very slender strips of cardboard or 

 pasteboard may be so glued to the slide as to make a square 

 frame, thus forming a cell to hold the wings. 



He imbeds small wings in Canada balsam, by dropping the balsam 

 on the wings and covering them with a thin glass, such as is used by 

 microscopists. The slide thus prepared should lie horizontally for a 

 few months, and then be preserved in a box made to hold such 

 slides, those made for holding ordinary microscopic slides serving 

 for the preparations of wings of Lepidoptera of medium size. (En- 

 tomologische Nachrichten, 1887, pp. 164, 165.) 



To Remove Grease. — Mr. Henry Edwards removes grease 

 from moths and butterflies by submerging them in a vessel 

 of ether for twelve hours; then taking the insect out and 

 draining off the ether, he places the butterfly on plaster-of- 

 Paris powder for twelve hours, after which time the powder 

 is blown off and the insect is reset. 



Mr. Ph. Fischer places greasy specimens in a fluid com- 

 posed of one part of ether to two of the strongest alcohol, 

 leaving them therein for about twenty-four hours. After 

 being taken out and dried, they are spread. Where only the 

 wings are oily, the specimen is put on the spreading-board, 

 under side up, without fastening it in any way, and the pur- 

 est spirits of turpentine poured on it to fully soak the wings, 

 after which finely-powdered pipe-clay is strewn thickly 

 over the affected parts, and this left to dry. Should the 

 clay, after becoming dry. he yellow, the oil is not all out of 

 the wings, and the process must be repeated. To remove 

 the clay, hold the specimen on the upper part of the pin, 

 and gi TT e the pin a little jerk near the point, and the clay, 



