INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 15 
from teasing and squeezing the part, they do good; 
and they may hold their place as potent remedies 
till the wheel of fashion brings up something else 
instead of them. 
A little practice will make any one far more pro- 
ficient in setting wasps than any amount of written 
directions. But it can do no harm, and may save 
much time at first to be put in the mght way. 
Newly hatched wasps are very likely to turn black 
after a little while; so that if we have only such 
specimens it is better to keep them alive for some 
days before doing anything with them. We may kill 
them readily by dropping them into a corked bottle 
with a little benzol, better known as benzine collas, 
or chloroform, at the bottom. The first of these is the 
best: it is less volatile, so that the poisoning bottle 
will not require to be replenished so often; and its 
effects are more permanent. After a few minutes 
the wasps may be removed from the bottle and 
spread out to dry; and if then no signs of life appear 
we may clean and set them at once. 
For this purpose, take the wasp between the left 
thumb and forefinger, and squeeze the abdomen 
gently, removing the viscera, as they protrude, with 
a pair of forceps and a bit of rag. Then wipe out 
the inside of the abdomen with a little cotton wool, 
and when it is quite dry insert a small tuft of this to 
prevent the abdomen from shrmking. With care all 
this may be done without cutting, or even without 
displacing any of the rmgs. Next draw the legs out 
gently, and particularly attend to the tibio-tarsal 
joints, straightening them, not by pulling, but by 
pressing, so that they may readily take any required 
