74 INTRODUCTION. 



wood, of a convenient portable size, are provided 

 with partitions or moveable shelves, each consisting 

 of a simple board ; these are fitted at the distance 

 of two inches one from another, in grooves in the 

 sides of the box, in which they are made to slide 

 with accuracy and facility, and are therefore re- 

 movable at pleasure. These boards or shelves have 

 necessarily the exact dimensions of the ends of the 

 chest, and are placed in a vertical position ; a small 

 vacancy is preserved between this lower extremity 

 and the floor, and any object detached by accident 

 falls to the bottom without causing further injury. 

 Each board or shelf, lined with cork or soft wood, 

 supplies, in some measure, the place of a cabinet 

 drawer. When taken out of the box and placed 

 on a table, it rests securely, and affords a plain sur- 

 face, upon which insects may be fixed and examined 

 with perfect ease and security : it is returned into 

 the box in an instant, which, if carefully made, 

 when closed secures most effectually the contents. 

 A small quantity of camphor, at the bottom, spreads 

 its influence over the whole. One large box may 

 conveniently contain fourteen boards, answering the 

 purpose of as many drawers ; and, being eighteen 

 inches long, they have a manageable size. This 

 plan I resolved to adopt. In the early period of 

 my pursuits, the boxes which I provided were made 

 of light wood, and to their use I must ascribe, in a 

 great measure, the preservation of my collection. 

 I found that they afforded a complete protection 

 against the ants and other destructive insects which 



