THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 8] 
between their claspers. If mounted in this way on the food- 
plant they will possess a very life-like appearance, and form 
beautiful objects for the collection. 
Cossus ligniperda preserves admirably ; and the Bombyces 
will be the favourites of all who take to preserving them. 
The larve of the Sphingide, if of a green colour, are almost 
sure to fade during the drying process, which for them 
should be conducted very slowly. Some persons restore the 
natural colour by the use of pigments; but this is to be 
deprecated. If there are many which do not retain their 
natural appearance, there are, on the other hand, many that 
do; and by practising on these a proficiency may be 
acquired which will enable the operator to manipulate the 
others with better chance of success. 
Henry A. Avtp. 
The Retreat, Blackheath. 
Preserving Larve of Lepidoptera.—Perhaps the following, 
taken from the ‘ Taxidermist’s Manual,’ may help Mr. E. G. 
Browne :—“ The easiest way of destroying the caterpillars is 
by immersion in spirits of wine. They may be retained for a 
long time in this spirit, without destroying their colours. 
After having killed the caterpillar, as above directed, make 
a small puncture at the tail, gently press out the contents of 
the abdomen, and fill the skin with fine dry sand, bringing 
the animal to its natural circumference. It is then exposed 
to the air to dry, aud will have become quite hard in the 
course of a few hours; after which the sand may be shaken 
out at the aperture, and the caterpillar then gummed to a 
piece of card. Another method is, after the entrails are 
squeezed out, to insert into the aperture a glass tube, drawn 
to a very fine point. ‘The operator must blow through this 
pipe while he keeps turning the skin slowly round over a 
charcoal fire; the skin soon becomes hardened, and, after 
being anointed with oil of spike and resin, it may be placed 
in the cabinet when dry. A small straw or pipe of grass may 
be substituted for the glass pipe. Some persons inject them 
with coloured wax after they are dried.".—R. Laddiman ; 
Norwich, March 18, 1876. 
[Ll have often tried the plan of killing larvae in spirits of 
M 
