injure itself by knocking off the delicate scales with which its wings are adorned. 

 In the second volume of the " Entomological Magazine " the late Mr. Stephens 

 gives some excellent instruction as to the manner of using the laurel leaves. It 

 is as follows : " Take three or four juicy leaves, the younger the better, with, 

 if a more powerful effect is required, a small portion of the tip of the stalk 

 of the common laurel, break or cut them into small pieces, and crush them 

 quickly between two stones, in a thin piece of paper, screw up the produce in 

 the latter, with as little exposure to the air as can be managed, and fix the 

 mass by a pin in the corner of the collecting box, in which the living insects 

 are to be previously placed; keep the box closely shut, and in about five 

 minutes every specimen will have expired. It is necessary that the external 

 air should be excluded, otherwise the fumes of prussic acid which are evolved from 

 the crushed leaves will become too much attenuated to affect the respiratory 

 organs of the insects, and the latter will partially revive if too speedily exposed to 

 the vivifying influence of a purer atmosphere." 



Now, then, your Butterflies being caught and killed, the next process is to 

 " set " them, by which I mean to place them in the position in which they 

 are to remain. For the purpose of "setting " insects, corked boards are prepared 

 and sold by hundreds, and may be obtained of the dealers already mentioned. 

 These boards have grooves in them of a variety of sizes adapted to admit the 

 body of any Butterfly or moth ; the body being placed in this groove, the 

 wings have to be strapped down with card. You must cut a common card- 

 any visitor's or tradesman's card will answer the purpose in little strips ; lay 

 one of the strips on the two wings on one side of the Butterfly, and another 

 strip on the two wings on the other side, and pinning down the ends of both 

 strips, the wings will remain exactly in the position in which you place them. 

 A word as to that position : let the wings be so arranged that the markings 

 on all four wings shall be distinctly visible. You can have no better rule on 

 this subject than to imitate exactly the position in which Mr. Willis has placed 

 them in the beautiful figures he has drawn to illustrate this history. If you 

 only continue to follow carefully the positions he has drawn, you will succeed to 

 admiration. Arrange your setting-boards in what is called a drying cage that is, 

 a box with grooves along the si 3^8 in which the setting-boards can slide easily. 

 There must be a window of perforated zinc or gauze wire at both ends of this 

 drying cage, so that the air may pass freely through, whilst the mice, cockroaches, 

 and wasps are kept out. Woe to the Butterfly that is attacked by either of t iese 

 enemies ! It is curious that three animals, that are not very likely to eat Butterflies 

 and moths in a state of nature, should prefer them, when the entomologist has 

 prepared them for his cabinet, to every other kind of food, however delicious. 

 I call it a depraved taste ; depraved, indeed, it certainly is, for how cau these 



