146 



NATURAL HISTORY OF INSECTS. 



Pig. 338. 



prepared in this way, and the bottle corked up tightly, the 

 fumes of the cyanide will destroy the insect's life in a very 

 short time, (ireat care should be exercised in using the cya- 

 nide, as it is a deadly poison when taken internally, although 

 no serious effect has ever been known to follow the inhaling 

 from the cyanide bottle prepared as directed above, notwith- 

 standing its fatal effects upon insect life. 



Those insects which are too large to be placed into the 

 cyanide bottle may be killed by the use of chloroform. For 

 this purpose a small and stout bottle, with a 

 brush inserted in the cork (Fig. 338), will be 

 found very serviceable. By moistening the 

 abdomen of the insect with this liquid its life 

 will soon be destroyed. 



Regarding the killing of very small and 

 delicate insects, these should be caught in 

 wooden boxes, where, when applying the 

 chloroform to the outside of the box, they 

 will speedily become stupefied. 



Butterflies, moths, and similar insects 

 should not be carried in the cyanide bottle 

 after they are dead, since, by rolling around 

 in the bottle, they become more or less de- 

 ll =nuded of their scales, or otherwise disfigured; 

 soon as dead they should be taken out of 

 the hottle and pinned into a cork-lined box made for this 

 purpose. 



In pinning beetles, the' pin should be thrust through the 

 Tight wing-case (Fig. 339, a) so as to come out between the 



insertion of the middle and the 

 hind pair of leg; bugs should be 

 pinned through the scutellum (Fig. 

 339, 5) jail other insects should be 

 pinned through the thorax. 



In pinning insects for the cabi- 

 net, entomological pins, made ex- 



Fig. 339. 



