PRESERVATION. 117 



they generally revive. All insects killed in water should 

 be very carefully spread on blotting paper; those large 

 enough for pinning should be then selected, and left until 

 thoroughly dried; those which are so small as to be injured 

 by a pin should be removed to a sheet of pasteboard ; each 

 should be floated on a drop of water, and the water with- 

 drawn by a camels' hair brush. The legs and wings usu- 

 ally spread out neatly of themselves, but if they do not, a 

 little assistance from the brush will accomplish it; the 

 board should then be carefully put away, and the insects 

 will dry in the position in which they were left, but are so 

 slightly attached to the board that a touch of the pencil 

 will remove them. 



A number of very small pieces of card should next be 

 prepared ; they should be triangular, with one angle very 

 acute; a pin should be passed through each, near the base; 

 then with a fine brush touch the acute point of the card with 

 clean transparent gum- water, and again moistening the 

 brush take up one of the insects and place it on the gum, 

 to which it will instantly adhere. All minute Hymenop- 

 tera may be mounted in this way. The wings of minute 

 Diptera are more difficult to deal with, being of a softer 

 texture. As few of these should be mounted as possible, 

 and great care should be exercised in the operation ; the 

 rest of the Diptera should be pinned. The minute insects 

 brought home alive in the vial may be instantly killed by 

 immersing the vial in hot water, after which they may be 

 mounted at any future opportunity, when more time can be 

 spared for the operation : each vial should be labelled with 

 the date and place, when and where taken; and thus a 

 winter's amusement may be provided. 



In setting, i. e. arranging the legs and wings of those in- 

 sects sufficiently large to require pinning, there are two 

 modes : the first is to place the wings horizontally, the se- 



