RHOPALOCERA NIHONICA. 



not less than 30 feet of setting boards ; it should be very strongly made to withstand rough usage when 

 travelling. The boards should be made of soft wood, with cork or pith in the groove, and when thev are 

 put away in the house, they should stand perpendicularly, to prevent the bodies of the specimens becoming 

 distorted, while drying. They should be perfectly flat and all of the same depth, not less than one inch- 

 The cages for rearing larvx should be open Glass Cylinders, the tops being covered with net; they 

 should stand on earthenware plates, each plate having a hole drilled in the middle, through which the stalk 

 of the plant, on which the larva feeds, is immersed in a vessel holding water underneath. The Cabinet 

 is, perhaps, the most important of all, as, unless it is a good one, the results of the collectors' time 

 and trouble will be spoilt. After very many experiments, I find the best wood for the drawers to be the 

 red wood of the cherry; any fancy wood not given to warping or giving off resin, may be used for the 

 case, but camphor wood, keyaki, cedar, pine, &c., are most unsuitable. The drawers should be 14 in. 

 long by 21 in. broad, and will then hold one dozen small size sheet-cork, as it is a great advantage 

 to have as many as possible of a genus under observation at the same time. All drawers should have air- 

 tight lids, and for butterflies it is useful to have both the tops and bottoms of glass. For the 

 latter, a narrow strip of cork is fastened between thin pieces of wood ; this is laid on the bottom and 

 secured in' position by means of a rack arrangement, which permits of the cork being shifted nearer or 

 further apart, as required by the size of the specimens. For moths it is only necessary to have the lid of 

 glass, the bottoms of the drawers being lined with cork and papered. The drawers should be of 

 sufficient depth so that the heads of the pins do not touch the glass lid, or say if in. inside measurem ent. 

 The sides should be double, and the lid have a deep flange fitting accurately into the cavity thus formed. 

 The drawers should be supported on side runners, and all should be made exactly of the same 

 gauge, so as to be interchangeable, if necessary. Only the very best workmanship should be em- 

 ployed, so that neither moisture nor insects can obtain access to the contents. The Pins for all 

 Macro-lepidoptera should be of a uniform length, but of different degrees of thickness. Those for Micro- 

 lepidoptera should be smaller. The Pliers should be turned up at the point and the inner sides provided 

 \vitha pin and socket. The Scissors should have fine points they are used for opening the abdomen of 

 all large moths, the contents of which should always be extracted. 



Only the best Cyanide should be used ; it is generally in thin cakes, and when 'its action 

 is sluggish, it can be freshened up by the addition of a few drops of vinegar. Napthaline placed in a 

 pocket between the double sides of the drawers, is the best protection against the attacks of insects.' 

 Plumbi Precip. and Calcis Carb. sprinkled over the bottom of the drawers, although somewhat unsightly, 

 will in damp climates keep away mould and acari. If, however, mould appears persistently, the 

 drawers should be placed round a bright fire, some six feet distant, with the lids removed, for 

 several hours, at intervals of a few days. As a substitute for this method, a small quantity of. 

 Calcis Chloride, placed in a small pan in each drawer, for a short time, should be sufficient to absorb 

 all moisture. Camphor is worse than useless, as it only damages specimens, instead of acting as a 



