Setting and Mounting of Beetles 



bottle of gum tragacanth, (which can be obtained 

 in powder), dissolved in water to the consistency 

 of a rather fluid jelly. 



(5) Several pieces of clean white cardboard, such as 

 / the backs of visiting, or trade cards, or a large 

 sheet can be bought and cut up in pieces, the 

 size of which does not greatly matter. 

 So equipped we may commence operations by turn- 

 ing the contents of our laurel bottle out on the sheet 

 of white paper, carefully searching through the mass, 

 picking out the dead beetles with the forceps and remov- 

 ing them to the sheet of blotting paper on which 

 also we can lay any of the smaller specimens which 

 we may have killed by immersion in hot water. The 

 laurel itself, now clear of beetles, we can turn back 

 into the bottle again for future use. 



Next, we must turn on their backs the beetles, now 

 on the blotting paper, which it is as well slightly to 

 damp, and then with one of the flat sable brushes 

 suitable to the size of the insect, carefully brush out 

 its legs, antennae, and palpi ; the two hinder pair 

 of legs directed backwards, the front pair and the 

 antennae forward at an angle, and the palpi straight 

 forward. Then taking one of the cards sufficient in 

 size to hold all the beetles of that particular bottle 

 or tube, by means of the larger brush, gum the surface 

 with arabic for the large to moderate sized specimens, 

 or tragacanth for the very small or very fragile. 



Then, transfer each beetle with the forceps or moistened 

 brush as it lies on its back with legs, &c., extended 



3 



