26 A NOTICE OF THE 



other departments. The entomologists of the Academy were 

 roused to renewed exertion ; and the present collection of insects, 

 it is confidently hoped, although it was commenced, it may be 

 said, not more than five years since, will very soon surpass that 

 which was lost. 



The insects are arranged in boxes, made to resemble folio 

 volumes, about two and a half inches thick ; two sides of the 

 boxes are glass, protected on the outside by movable covers, like 

 those of a book. A label on the back of each designates the 

 class to which its contents belong ; and a catalogue or index is 

 written on the inside of the left-hand cover. The series on the 

 shelves of the cases might be mistaken for a work on entomology 

 in many volumes. The insects are secured in such a manner 

 that both their upper and under surfaces may be readily examined 

 without exposing them to dust or air. Before they are fixed in 

 the boxes, they are exposed to a high temperature in an oven 

 contrived for the purpose, in order to destroy the vitality of 

 those eggs or larvae they may contain, which have always been 

 more or less destructive to such collections. After the specimens 

 are arranged, all the joints of the boxes are thoroughly closed 

 with poisoned paste, which secures them from the invasion of 

 ravaging marauders. 



By this plan, the collection is kept in a perfect state of pre- 

 servation, and is entirely available for study. 



The principal contributors to the entomological cabinet in the 

 past few years, are Mr. Robert Kilvington, Henry Bond Dewey, 

 Esq., Dr. D. B. McCartee, Mr. Wm. Hobson, Mr. Edward 

 Doubleday, Dr. T. B. Wilson, Rev. T. S. Savage, M. D., Mr. 

 Hagedorn, Dr. Gavin Watson, Dr. A. L. Heerman, Dr. Gambel, 

 Mr. Cassin, Dr. John Neill, Mr. Geo. B. Wood, Jr., Mr. Isaac 

 Lea, and others. The donations made are all recorded in the 

 published volumes of the "Proceedings of the Academy." 



Of about 6,000 specimens now in the cabinet, 1,500 lepidoptera 

 and 2,500 coleoptera are classed and labelled ; but the classifica- 

 tion is not yet sufficiently advanced to estimate, with any degree 

 of accuracy, the number of species it contains, belonging to the 

 several families. 



