THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 151 
in diameter and eight inches in height; cut a piece of cork, 
so as to fit easily within it; soak the cork thoroughly in 
water; and having pinned on to it as many insects as it will 
conveniently hold, place the cork on any flat surface,—as a 
table, &c.,—and cover it over with the cylinder. Nothing 
more is required; and the whole operation may be effected 
in a couple of minutes. Twelve hours will be sufficient to 
relax most Noctuze and all Geometra. Sometimes in this 
and, as I suppose, in all other methods, the insect will 
become more or less damp. It is, therefore, desirable, after 
it has been re-set, to thoroughly dry it by exposure, at a 
safe distance, to the warmth of a fire. It may be observed 
that it is almost impossible to ve-set a moth, and still more 
so a butterfly, so as to please a fastidious eye;—at any 
rate, I have failed to do so. While admiring, therefore, 
Mr. Newman’s modest disclaimer of “ originality,” I must 
thoroughly endorse his motto—* Prevention is better than 
cure.” As regards Mr. Brown’s question about the employ- 
ment of the solution of corrosive sublimate, the injury done 
to his insects arose from two causes :—first, the solution was 
too strong; and secondly, he used it improperly. The 
following extract, from a letter written to me by the late 
Mr. H. Doubleday, will give Mr. Brown the necessary 
information on these points :—“ I am not an advocate for the 
use of camphor; it unquestionably tends to make moths 
greasy. If the under sides of the thorax and abdomen, and 
the antennae, are carefully touched with a camel’s-hair 
pencil dipped in a weak solution of corrosive sublimate, 
they are for ever proof against mites and mould....... I 
believe that when insects are carefully touched with a weak 
solution of corrosive sublimate in pure alcohol, they will 
never mould or be destroyed by mites....... A small piece 
of sublimate, about the size of a hemp-seed, is sufficient for 
an ounce of alcohol. It should never be strong enough to give 
visible crystals on a non-absorbing substance (black),—a 
piece of blackened ivory, for instance, —when it is wetted with 
the solution and allowed to evaporate. The best method of 
applying it is to take a small camel’s-hair pencil and dip it in 
the solution, pass it along the antenna, and then apply it to 
the under side of the thorax and abdomen.” N.B. (by 
myself).—Extreme care is required in applying the solution 
