Feb., '02] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 51 



A pinful of butterflies transfixed sideways is another favorite 

 point of attack of this brute's, and though he used often to 

 bother pinned and set specimens when I employed short Eng- 

 lish pins, on long Carl.sbad pins they seem to be out of his 

 reach, as the grapes were from ^sop's fox in the fable. 



I never use naphthaline now in my store boxes, as high 

 setting seems to render it unnecessary except, perhaps, with 

 some of the larger moths, whose bodies or wing tips cannot be 

 kept entirely off the cork. I find naphthaline, however, almost 

 indispensable amongst papered specimens. 



Another difficulty I have never been able to overcome — 

 though it scarcely comes under the head of cabinet pests — is 

 the persistent and unsightly way specimens have of springing 

 after being set. I refer to those that have dried unset, and 

 then been relaxed and set, as those set fresh are undoubtedly 

 far less liable to spring, provided they are given time to thor- 

 oughly dry before being removed from the boards. But I find, 

 even in this so-called dry atmosphere of Alberta, that a very 

 large percentage of insects which have been relaxed will 

 spring sooner or later — upwards, downwards or backwards — 

 as often one way as another, though presumably they have a 

 tendency to reassume the position they had previous to the 

 relaxing. It is true that a slight deviation from the conven- 

 tionally orthodox style of setting does not in the least detract 

 from its scientific value, which is, of course, the most import- 

 ant point to be considered ; but still, if some way could be 

 discovered of preventing the springing which did not involve 

 a large amount of labor (as does applying cement to the bases 

 of wings beneath, which does not increase the value of the 

 specimen ) , I think a great many collectors would gladly em- 

 ploy it. As to mould in the relaxing tins, a few drops of car- 

 bolic acid will usually prevent it, though I am always afraid of 

 its acting on the colors of the specimens, especially in the case 

 of non-metallic greens. Some of these, indeed, are so fleeting 

 that it is absolutely impossible (so far as I know) to relax them 

 at all without completely ruining the colors. As an instance 

 of such species I may mention that pretty little Geometrid, 

 FAicrostis viridipcnyiata. I have seen this fact mentioned before 

 in these pages with reference to the same species. 



