48 



persons who may have the leisure to make ac- 

 curate drawings of the larvae, will render a most 

 essential service to natural history by so doing ; 

 and any little observation connected with their* 

 economy should be noted. This order of insects 

 require no further preparation than merely 

 passing a pin through the thorax ; but as some 

 would live for a considerable time empaled in 

 this way, and this mode of killing them must be 

 repugnant to every feeling mind, we shall 

 merely state, that we have succeeded in destroy- 

 ing the life of the largest moth, by immersing 

 the body in boiling water : it is further neces- 

 sary to observe, that the whole of the body must 

 remain under water for the space of half a mi- 

 nute : the water must be quite clean, and free 

 from every kind of grease ; the wings should be 

 pressed together, and held firm by the finger 

 and thumb, so that the upper surfaces be not 

 rubbed, which would spoil the specimen ; the 

 insect should be then put on blotting paper, to 

 extract the moisture, and may afterwards be 

 placed on a corked board to dry. These in- 

 sects are said to be readily killed by dipping 

 the pin into aquafortis previously to passing it 

 through the insect : should this be found suffi- 



