CATCHING BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 73 



opening it. Cyanide, chloroform, benzole, and some others render 

 the insects more or less brittle and stiff, so that it is not so easy to 

 ' set ' them for the cabinet. Perhaps, if you happen to have a 

 supply of growing laurel close at hand, you cannot do better than 

 stick to the laurel box. The time taken in bruising up a few leaves 

 is inconsiderable, and the moisture given off from them will keep 

 your insects moist and supple, or will even ' relax ' them if they 

 have become rigid. But try various plans for yourself, and you 

 will be able to settle a question which all the entomologists in the 

 world cannot answer for you which method answers best in your 

 hands. 



The next item for our consideration is the ' collecting box.' 

 This is merely a box in which the butterflies are pinned as soon as 

 they are dead. Here, again, we shall note a few variations from 

 which a selection can be made according to the means or the 

 ingenuity of the reader. For a couple of shillings you can obtain 

 a good zinc collecting box, lined with cork, of oval form (a most 

 convenient shape for the pocket), and quite large enough for one 

 day's captures ; and half that modest sum will purchase a wooden 

 box, also lined with cork, adapted to the same purpose. 



As with many other things, so with collecting boxes, the cheapest 

 is often the dearest in the end. You may feel inclined to save a 

 shilling by buying a wooden box, but you are sure to discard it after 

 a little practical experience for a metal one. We shall speak a little 

 later on concerning the advisability of 'setting' the butterflies as 

 soon as possible after capture ; but this is not always practicable, 

 especially after a good day's catch. Now, if the insects are-pinned 

 in a wooden box, they soon become dry and rigid, and consequently 

 cannot be ' set ' till they have been put through the more or less 

 tedious process of ' relaxing.' If you use a wooden collecting box 

 you will often find, on a hot and dry day, that all or nearly all your 

 butterflies are rigid before you arrive home ; but a metal box will 

 keep them moist and supple, so that you can even put off the 

 setting till the following day if you are unable to do^it immediately 

 after your return. 



Another point worth considering is the best economy of space. If 

 your collecting box is only about one inch deep inside, you have 

 room for only one layer of pinned insects; but a box only a little 

 deeper may be lined with cork both at top and bottom, and thus be 

 made to accommodate double the number. The zinc boxes sold by 

 the dealers are generally lined with cork in this manner, and are, 



