976 PEOCEEDTNGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



purpose it was attached to the end of a rod by msans of a piece of plasti- 

 cine. The composition on the edge had previously been put into place 

 and heated. It remains adhesive sufficiently long for the glass firmly to 

 ' adhere to it. 



The great objection to this method is that it is expensive. It is 

 not every tinsmith who has sufficient skill to make the frames. If 

 they were made of aluminium they might be produced cheaply and 

 would not need electroplating. Such frames might be of use for preserv- 

 ing sjjecimens of other insects than butterflies or for seeds or other 

 natural history specimens. Mounting the insect in the box takes up 

 so much time that the method could scarcely be suitable for ordinary 

 museum purposes. But it might be useful in special cases in which 

 it was desired to preserve the original colours. The method has the 

 advantage that the heads, abdomens, etc., can be cemented either to 

 the glass or to each other and hence are not likely to come loose. 



I have here some specimens of butterflies, mounted in this way, 

 which Dr. Hankin has sent for exhibition in illustration of his paper. 

 In an accompanying letter he says : — " Some time ago I met an alumi- 

 nium manufacturer and showed him these boxes. He told me he would 

 be ready to consider the question of making them in quantity if there 

 was any prospect of a demand. I should be glad to hear what entomo- 

 logists say on that point. Some sent uji to Simla were rapidly sold 

 for charitable purposes." It seems to me that, whilst such boxes might 

 find a small sale as curiosities, such a method of preservation would be 

 quite unsuitable for an entomological collection on account of the time 

 taken in preparation and the inaccessibility and difficulty of storing 

 the specimens themselves. If kept in a damp climate the specimens 

 would be sure to go mouldy sooner or later. 



72.— THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLECTING. 

 By David Sharp, M.A., F.E.S. 

 Many who have a taste for entomology begin collecting with enthu- 

 siasm, but after a time diminish their efforts or even altogether abandon 

 them. There are numerous reasons that account for this fact, but 

 as this brief communication is of a practical rather than of a philoso- 

 phical nature, I need allude to but one of them, and that is a belief that 

 collections are more advanced and nearer completion than the other 

 branches of entomology are. This I beUeve to be a great error. Those 

 who have inspected a large collection of insects and have recognized 

 its great extent may be pardoned for entertaining the idea that 



