The Capture, Preparation, and Preservation of Specimens 



The beginner who has not a long purse will do well to preserve 

 his collections in boxes such as have been, described. They can 



be obtained quite cheaply and 

 are most excellent. Cabinets 

 are more or less of a luxury for 

 the amateur, and are only a ne- 

 cessity in the case of great col- 

 lections which are constantly 

 being consulted. The boxes 

 may be arranged upon shelves. 

 Some of the largest and best 

 collections in the world are pre- 



FIG. 70. A, A, side and bottom of box ; 

 B, frame fitting into box; C, space which 

 must be left between frame and bottom of 

 box ; P, P, paper stretched on frame. 



served in boxes, notably those 

 of the United States National 

 Museum. 



Labeling. Each specimen 



should have 'on the pin below the specimen a small label giving 

 the date of capture, if known, and the locality. Below this should 

 be a label of larger size, giving its sci- 

 entific name, if ascertained, and the 

 sex. Labels should be neat and uni- 

 form in size. A good size for labels 

 for large species is about one inch 

 long and five eighths of an inch wide. 

 The labels should be written in a fine 

 but legible hand. Smaller labels may 

 be used for smaller species. A crow- 

 quill pen and India ink are to be pre- 

 ferred in writing labels. 



Arrangement of Specimens. Spe- 

 cimens are best arranged in rows. 

 The males should be pinned in first 

 in the series, after them the females. 

 Varieties should follow the species. 

 After these should be placed any 

 aberrations or monstrosities which 

 the collector may possess. The name 



FIG. 71. Manner of arranging 

 specimens in cabinet. 



of the genus should precede all the species contained in the col- 

 lection, and after each species the specific name should be placed. 

 Fig. 71 shows the manner of arrangement. 



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