where there is danger of ignition from an open fire or light. Boxes for the preser- 

 vation of insect collections are made by many firms, and prices for such receptacles 

 vary according to their size and the materials employed in their construction. 

 All receptacles, however, should be lined at the bottom with cork or some other soft 

 material into which the pins sustaining the insects can be put. We employ in the 

 Carnegie Museum a composition cork covered with white paper, which is made in 

 sheets of varying sizes, according to requirement, by the Armstrong Cork Manu- 

 facturing Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., the largest cork-manufacturing establisE-* 

 ment in the world. This is the most satisfactory material which is made. 



Large collections are advantageously preserved in cabinets, the drawers of which 

 are covered with glass through which the insects may be inspected without handling 

 them. Here again, for the details of the construction of boxes, trays, and cabinets, 

 the reader is referred to "The Butterfly Book," which may be found in every public 

 library, and is in the hands of multitudes of individuals. 



In arranging specimens the scientific order should be followed. The species 

 belonging to a given genus should be placed together. The little labels attached 

 to the pins should give both the generic and the specific name, the locality where 

 the specimen was taken, and the sex, if known. For the purpose of designating 

 the sex naturalists employ what are known as "sex marks," the male being indi- 

 cated by the sign of Mars, cf, while the female is indicated by the sign of Venus, 9 . 



57 



