ENTOMOLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS, &C. 54?7 



a piece of white paper pasted over it ; and of several 

 narrow slips of card or braces, tapering gradually to a 

 point, of different lengths, from half an inch to two inches 

 or more, with a pin fixed in each at the broadest end. 

 Thus provided, you may proceed to action. But you must 

 first decide whether, like the continental Entomologists, 

 you will set your Lepidoptera horizontally ; or, like the 

 British, with their wings declining obliquely from the 

 body. If you prefer the former method, the body must 

 be let into a groove, and the wings expanded as flatly as 

 possible, the anterior margin of the primary pair being 

 brought forward so as to project beyond the head. But 

 as this usually gives the insect an unnatural and formal 

 appearance, I apprehend a man of your taste will prefer 

 the mode adopted by your compatriots, the collectors of 

 Britain, who in setting make the wings form an angle, 

 varying according to the size and characters of the insect, 

 with the body, and do not bring the anterior wings so 

 forward. The wings of butterflies however, in order to 

 appear at all natural, should be set more horizontally. 

 Which fashion soever you prefer, the mode of operating 

 is nearly the same ; only that the English plan, except in 

 the case of some large-bodied moths or hawk-moths, re- 

 quires no groove in the setting-board. After you have 

 stuck the insect upon the cork so as to bring its body 

 close to its surface, stretch the anterior wing with a needle 

 fixed in a handle, or a camel' s-hair pencil, applied to the 

 joint at the base, sufficiently forward, and then confine 

 it by means of one of your card braces: next, do the 

 same by the opposite wing. Afterwards expand the pos- 

 terior wings, which must not be separated from the an- 

 terior so as to leave any interval between them, and fix 



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