Storing the Collection 



thoroughly clean inside ; then insert your blowpipe 

 into the anal orifice, letting the spring down on the 

 last segment so as to hold the skin on ; apply your 

 mouth to the other end of the blowpipe, blow the skin 

 out gently, and insert in the hot-air oven. Keep 

 blowing gently for a few seconds ; watch progress ; 

 touch the skin with your finger to see if it is getting 

 hard and dry. Don't blow too hard and make it look 

 like a bursting sausage ; try to keep it as natural in 

 appearance as possible. In a few minutes it will be 

 quite hard and dry ; when dry, raise the spring, and a 

 slight touch with the thumb-nail will liberate it from 

 the blowpipe. The skin is now ready for mounting 

 on silk- covered wire or a thin dry twig with a little 

 entomological gum or seccotine. Our specimen is now 

 ready to take its place in the collection. 



We now have to face the problem of storing the 

 collection. It is probably beyond the means of a young 

 collector to purchase a cabinet with drawers, costing 

 ten shillings per drawer, and he will be well advised to 

 keep his specimens in store-boxes which he may be able 

 to make for himself. I made some very serviceable 

 ones with scented soap-boxes got from our grocer. 

 Any size will do, but it is best to have your boxes all 

 of one size if possible, say 10 inches by 14 inches by 

 4 inches. Get a few light deal boxes about these 

 dimensions, nail on the lids, paper them all over the 

 outside with good stout brown packing-paper having a 

 glossy surface ; paste it on with thin glue ; set aside a 

 day or two to dry. When dry, take a sharp saw and 



B.B. 25 4 



