BUTTERFLIES., SPHINGES, AND MOTHS. 203 



THE INSECT CABINET. 



The drawers of the cabinet should be about fif- 

 een inches in length,, eighteen in breadth, and two 

 nches deep. There should be a layer of cork of about 

 he sixth of an inch in thickness glued on the bottoms., 

 and a piece of paper pasted on the top. The cork 

 mght to be of the best quality, and free from cracks 

 md knots. Each drawer should have a lid of glass, 

 which must rest upon a rabbet. This excludes the 

 iir, and prevents dust. 



" The simplest method of corking drawers is, to 

 mrchase the cork of a corkcutter, ready prepared ; 

 mt it will be much cheaper for the entomologist to 

 >repare it himself. In this case it should be cut 

 nto stripes, of about three inches wide, with a cork- 

 ;utter's knife, to smooth the surface, ajid to divide 

 t. The stripes should be fixed in a vice, and cut 

 ;o the thickness required with a fine saw ; but 

 grease must not be used in the operation, as it will 

 not only prevent the cork from adhering to the bot- 

 tom of the drawer, but will also grease the paper 

 which should be pasted on its surface. The black 

 face of the cork should be rasped down to a smooth 

 surface. After having reduced the slips to about 

 three quarters of an inch in thickness, the darkest 

 or worst side of each slip should be glued down to 

 a sheet of brown, or cartridge paper ; this should be 

 laid on a deal board, about three feet in length, 



