INSECT STUFFING. 129 



thinking that everything is right, the Meloe larva 

 devours the egg, and then throws off its first larval 

 form in order to assume another, in which it some- 

 what resembles the grub of the cockchafer. It now 

 turns its attention to the food prepared by the bee 

 for its young, and finds therein just sufficient nutri- 

 ment to carry it through its larval condition. The 

 reader will see that it bears not the least resemblance 

 to the long-bodied, quick-legged larva in the first 

 stage of growth. 



To prepare these insects for the cabinet requires 

 some little care and patience, especially with the 

 females, for when the creature dies, the large soft 

 abdomen begins to shrink, and when it is quite dry, 

 the abdomen is not one-third its proper size, is full of 

 wrinkles, and crumpled out of all shape. The only 

 plan, therefore, is to stuff it with cotton wool. The 

 usual mode of so doing is, to cut a slit on the under 

 side, remove the contents of the abdomen, and replace 

 them with cotton wool. I have, however, found this 

 plan scarcely satisfactory, inasmuch as the edges of 

 the slit are apt to recede from each other, so that 

 the cotton wool is visible. There is another plan, 

 certainly involving more trouble, but with far better 

 results. With sharp scissors cut off the abdomen 

 altogether, squeeze and draw out its contents gently 

 by the hole which is made at its base by the blades of 

 the scissors. Through the same aperture introduce the 

 cotton wool, a very little at a time, so that you can 

 exactly restore the original shape of the abdomen, 

 taking care to stuff it a trifle larger than it was 

 originally, because the skin will contract a little on 



K 



