162 Miscellanies. 
clean water into the tube and blow it into the egg ; shake the egg for 
about a minute, and draw out the water again into the tube, and it wil 
leave the egg perfectly clean. The common dropping tube of the 
chemist, which has a ball in the middle of it, answers this purpose 
extremely well.—Loudon’s Mag. of Nat. Hist., March, 1831. 
2. Killing large insects.—As many of your young entomological 
readers may have found equal difficulty with myself in ascertaining 
the readiest method of killing the larger moths when captured, I trust 
you will excuse my troubling you with the following remarks. Inthe 
Journal of a Naturalist, prussic acid is suggested ; but that is nol 
only very expensive, but a most dangerous thing to have any dealing 
with. Ihave tried hot water, steam, hot needles, ether, sulphur, 
aqua fortis, &c. but found, none so decidedly effective as oxalic acid, 
which I thus apply :—First, shape a nice small quill into the form of 
a very sharp pointed blind pen, (i. e. a pen without a slit) then seize 
your moth, with the finger and thumb between the wings on the undet 
side, holding it with its head towards you, firmly, but with as litle 
pressure as possible. ‘Then dip your pen-shaped quill into the acid 
and run it into its thorax, just below the head, or between the firs 
pair of legs; and after two or three quick applications, the moth will 
be found perfectly dead. This is not only the most humane and ex 
peditious, but very economical, as two pence worth of acid would be 
sufficient to destroy subjects to fill a whole cabinet. As Tam writing 
for the information of your young friends, [ may be excused for add- 
ing that oxalic acid is in the form of crystals, which must be reduced 
to a liquid by a little water.—.4n Entomological Amateur —lden. 
3. Improvement in Ornithological terms.—Having observed inthe 
Gentleman’s Magazine the amendments proposed by Mr. Vigo" r 
substituting names which should express the actions of the different 
kinds of birds, for those of Linneus, and admiring the happy selec 
tion of terms by which he has designated each class, it may app 
_presumption to recommend any change. It is, therefore, with gre! 
diffidence that 1 offer the following, having a reference to the ae 
ture and habits of the birds. 
‘The second class, named by Mr. Vigors Insessores or Perchers 
might, perhaps, with more propriety be called Perticatores, from - 
trea, a perch; the expression insidere pertica, to sit on a per 
ing well authenticated. With respect to the fourth class, the Gralle 
tores of Mr. Vigors, and Gralla of Linnzus, expressive of the 
