160 OUR HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



are carefully attended to. The wing-cover having been 

 removed by raising it behind, and then gently snipping 

 it off in front with a fine pair of scissors, the folded 

 wing lying beneath may be carefully seized with forceps, 

 lifted up, and snipped off in the same way as the cover, 

 or it may be gently pulled away from its attachment. 

 As it is too small to be conveniently manipulated unless 

 when fixed to some support, a card should be provided 

 on which may be placed, with a small camel's-hair brush, 

 a very little gum tragacanth, made by soaking a small 

 piece of, the solid gum in water till it is of the con- 

 sistency of rather thick paste. The gum will very 

 quickly dry if only small quantities are used, and leave 

 no trace behind. It should not be put on the card till 

 the wing is ready to be transferred to it. The wing 

 packet may now be placed gently on the gum with the 

 upper surface downwards. In a few minutes the gum 

 will be dry and the wing will thus be fixed (Fig. 51, A). 

 By aid of a needle it will now be found that there are 

 two layers of material folded upon one another like the 

 leaves of a book. One of the edges will be observed to 

 be straight, the other curved ; the straight one is where 

 the fold occurs. By aid of the needle the flap may be 

 lifted and turned over along this hinge, and pressed 

 down on to another small supply of the gum, which 

 may be put on just in time to receive it. The wing 

 will now of course be twice as broad as before, and will 

 present the appearance shown in Fig. 51,^. It will now 

 become evident that the part that has been turned back 

 itself consists of two layers bent upon one another, not 

 in the same direction as before, but with the hinge lying 

 across the wing at its upper end. The uppermost flap 

 may easily be bent back across its hinge, when the wing 

 will appear as in Fig. 51, (7. This last piece should not 



