practical 



763 



of a backgammon board, so that when 

 opened, both shelves will lie flat on the 

 table ; lined with cork three-sixteenths 

 of an inch thick on both sides, and covered 

 with paper, having columns ruled on it 

 and numbered, that the collector may take 

 notes of his captures. A supply of the 

 bruised leaves of the common laurel, con- 

 tained in a gauze bag is pinned into a corner; 

 any handy box of pasteboard or light wood 

 will do equally well, or one may be con- 

 structed of pasteboard on the principle of 

 two card trays, having a piece of linen cloth 

 glued behind in place of hinges. To glue 

 cork firmly upon tin, the surface of the latter 

 must be chipped with the point of a nail ; 

 apply the glue with a brush, and then strew 

 fine sand over it ; when dry, pour off the 

 loose particles ; give another coating of glue, 

 and also one on the cork, and press it down 

 and apply heavy weights equally distributed 

 till it is thoroughly dry. A pincushion 

 made of several folds of flannel secured be- 

 tween two cards, and affixed to the inside of 

 the coat on the left breast by means of two 

 loops passing over two little buttons. A 

 common high-shaped snuff-box is very con- 

 venient for carrying a few braces, and three 

 or four little pill-boxes a-field. A pocket 

 collecting-box, for caterpillars, of any con- 

 venient shape, having its sides pierced with 

 holes : tin is the best for several reasons ; it 

 is strongest, lightest, and, above all, the 

 coolest for such a purpose ; but a large pill- 

 box pierced with red-hot needles will do very 

 well. An ale-glass or tumbler with a gauze 

 cover, and a little black earth from a hollow 

 tree for the convenience of such caterpillars 

 as undergo their metamorphosis below 

 ground, forms a convenient breeding-cage. 

 For a particular description of Mr. Stephen's 

 breeding-cage, and much that relates to the 

 collecting and preserving of insects, I beg to 

 refer the inquirer to ' Insect Architecture 

 and Miscellanies,' p. 224., one of Knight's 

 I Weekly Series : the woodcuts will easily 

 enable him to comprehend many of the de- 

 scriptions given in this little treatise, in the 

 preparation of which the author has been 

 studious to avoid all unnecessary expense. 



A pair of short tin forceps, already de- 

 scribed under the head of Crustacea, for seiz- 

 ing insects ; a wet finger and thumb is readiest, 

 and often superior, especially for small in- 

 sects. The pocket knife and a lens of three 

 magnifying powers ought to constitute part 

 of the naturalist's daily equipment : a single 

 lens at Is. 6d. will show wonders, but a Cod- 

 dington or Stanhope lens is indispensable 

 for small insects. 



A lantern, 8 inches in height, and about 

 3 inches square, fitted with a lamp to burn 

 spermaceti oil, and having a polished tin 

 reflector and bull's-eye glass, is most suitable 

 for mothing ; a good one will cost 4s. : it 

 should be furnished with two straps, one for 

 the waist, the other for the neck. A small 

 portion of the wick should always be cut off 

 previous to relighting the lamp. 



PINS The best kind of pins are the solid 



headed pins sold by Edelsten and Taylor, 

 Crown Court, Cheapside, but Insect Appara- 



tus of every kind may be procured at Messrs. 

 Knight's, Foster Lane, London. 



Damaged needles, or, as they are generally 

 called, cabinet makers' needles, are most 

 useful for setting insects ; so are any tall 

 pins, a proportion of which should be sharply 

 bent to one side with the wire pliers. To 

 form a setting stick, take a needle between 

 the pliers, and push its head into a stick 

 3 inches long, about as thick as a small quill, 

 and secure it with a silk thread well waxed ; 

 the other end is fitted with a small camel's 

 hair brush. A pin bent at the point and 

 fitted into a handle is also very useful for 

 setting insects. Braces which are generally of 

 a triangular shape, of various sizes, and trans- 

 fixed by a needle or pin at the broader end. 



A Setting Box should be formed of deal 

 three-sixteenths of an inch thick, 12J inches 

 high, and 9 inches square ; the top, sides, 

 and bottom are entire, and to insure stability 

 the latter ought to project half an inch 

 beyond either side ; coarse gauze is nailed 

 on the back, and the door is merely in frame 

 and also covered with gauze ; thus providing 

 for the ready admission of the air and the 

 exclusion of dust. There should be two little 

 rings and staples on either side to serve as 

 handles, and a drawer 1| inch deep, sub- 

 divided into compartments for pins, braces, 

 &c.; it is situated close below a false bottom. 

 Each setting board ib covered with cork and 

 then papered, leaving a margin equal to 

 three-eighths of an inch all round ; and the 

 boards are placed an inch and a half above 

 one another : this will give five to the box 

 described, and they are fitted into grooves in 

 the sides. But all this may be done much 

 more cheaply ; fillets may be glued on the 

 sides to receive the boards, the drawer may 

 be dispensed with, and a curtain fastened to 

 the roof of the box, so that it may be folded 

 up when necessary, which will answer every 

 useful purpose in place of a door. 



A stand for placing insects on to be exa- 

 mined, may be formed by gluing a piece of 

 cork on one end of an empty cotton reel. 

 For mounting insects on cards, gum traga- 

 canth is superior to gum Arabic ; to five 

 table-spoonfuls of cold water, add a piece 

 of gum the size of a shilling. A bottle, fitted 

 with a glass stopper, containing oxalic acid : 

 A tin box, 5 inches long, 3J inches broad, by 

 2J inches high, fitted with cork on the lid, 

 and having a movable bottom of tin pierced 

 with many holes, resting on points soldered 

 to the sides, six -eighths of an inch above the 

 fixed bottom, the space between them being 

 reserved for bruised laurel leaves ; any con- 

 venient little box fitted with a pasteboard 

 tray may be substituted. 



Every collector should be content with 

 store-boxes till his collection has become 

 extensive : handsome boxes of this descrip- 

 tion can be purchased for 10s. ; but any car- 

 penter can manufacture plain yet useful 

 ones, of half-inch deal, after the fashion of 

 a backgammon-board, in two equal halves, 

 so as to hold insects in each. Dimensions in 

 the clear, as follows : Length 17 inches, 

 breadth 14 inches, depth of two halves when 

 closed 3J inches. The inner and upper edge 

 of one half is furnished with a fillet of zinc, 



