336 CHAPTER XLVIL 



specimens, a collection soon disappears. Nature- 

 printing has many advantages, of which these are a 

 few : 



1. The collection is imperishable, cannot be broken, or attacked either 

 by " grease," or by mites, an equally destructive plague. 



2. A new specimen does not necessitate a re-arrangement, for the 

 pictures are mounted upon separate cards. 



3. Half as many insects only are required ; for the same individual 

 gives both upper and under side. 



4. Specimens may be sent by post without fear of damage. Thus 

 great trouble and expense are avoided in naming and exchanging. 



5. The date, name, and locality cannot be separated from the insect. 

 When this happens a Butterfly loses all interest. 



6. A collection of hundreds, or even thousands, may be quite easily 

 carried about, whereas even a small boxful of Butterflies, set in the 

 ordinary way, is an encumbrance when travelling. This is an important 

 point ; for it is a great advantage, when working in a strange district, 

 to have one's collection at hand for reference. No books can replace the 

 actual specimen, and no book gives a complete series of the variations of 

 each species. 



7. We dispense with the complicated apparatus of setting boards, 

 setting pins, body pins, &c. 



8. Butterflies may be killed by benzine, or in any way that is con- 

 venient ; for it matters nothing if they become rigid. 



9. No damp-tin is required for collecting, and all the trouble of 

 relaxing is avoided. 



10. We escape the great expense of a cabinet or air-tight boxes. 

 These boxes cost five shillings each, and twenty of them are soon filled. 

 A collection stored in any other way does not last many months. 



Compared with these advantages, the drawbacks 

 are insignificant. The principal objections to Nature- 

 printing are the following : 



1. The bodies, antennae, &c., are wanting. These may be drawn in. 

 This is the only objection really worth considering, and it applies only to 

 museums and public collections. For scientific purposes, an insect should 

 be perfect. But a private collector must adopt the simplest and most 

 practical system. A person who has any other occupation in life cannot 

 spare time for the tedious operation of doctoring diseased specimens, nor 

 can ordinary people afford the expense of replacing Butterflies which are 

 damaged or destroyed. 



