PEOCEEDINGS OF THE THIRB ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 969 



Cabinets (Plate 160) seem to have been little used in India 

 hitherto but provide by far the best means of storage for the 

 permanent preservation of insects as all the specimens are kept free 

 from mould, pests, and light, provided, of course, that the cabinets 

 arc thoroughly well made of properly seasoned wood and that 

 the drawers are kept supplied with naphthaline, which, however, 

 evaporates comparatively slowly under closed conditions. A great 

 advantage in cabinets is the very large economy of apace yielded 

 by their use instead of store-boxes, whether these are kept in racks 

 or almirahs, as three or foiu- twenty-drawer cabinets may be placed 

 on top of one another, so that eighty drawers (equivalent in storage 

 space to one hundred and twenty three-inch store-boxes or to 

 sixty four-inch boxes) only occupy about the same floor-space 

 as one rack holding only twenty three-inch boxes. 



The most convenient size for a cabinet is one of twenty drawers, 

 in two tiers of ten drawers each. It should be made of thoroughly- 

 seasoned, best quality mahogany or teak. Inferior woods will warp 

 in the dry weather and swell in the rains, with the result that the sides 

 may crack and the drawers will stick. Under no circumstances should 

 resinous wood, such as cedar or pine, be used, as the resin contained 

 in such wood is sure to exude sooner or later and condense in little blebs 

 on the glass and inside of the drawers and even on the specimens them- 

 selves. It is thoroughly bad economy to have any but the very best 

 quality of wood and workmanship in a cabinet. It should be provided 

 with double wooden doors, to lock in the centre and lined with velvet 

 along the hinge-edges to exclude dust. No fancy-work in the top or 

 bottom is required if it is intended to stand cabinets one upon another. 



The drawers may be made of any size but a convenient size 

 is 18xl8X2| inches externally, giving internal dimensions of about 

 16x16 inches of corked space and at least IJ inches fiom svjface of 

 cork to lower surface of glass. In any case the drawers should be made 

 interchangeable, not only in the'r own cabinet, but in all the cabinets 

 containing one collection. By this means it is possible to expand and 

 rearrange the collection without moving all the specimens. The drawers 

 should be fitted with glass frames to drop in and with a space all around 

 about I inch wide, under the edges of the frame, for naphthaline 

 (Plate 161). They should be lined with sheet cork over which 

 unglazed white paper is pasted. The cost of a well-made cabinet, 

 in the above dimensions, landed in the laboratory, may be put at 

 about Rs. 15 per drawer. 



Preservation of Larvce. Caterpillars may be preserved dry after 

 having been " blown." The process is as follows : — Select a well- 



