MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. AP Sao 
No, VIII.—SOME ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FROM CEYLON, 
A METHOD FOR PREPARING SPECIMENS OF Lepidoptera FOR IDENTIFICATION, 
Modern classifiers of Lepidoptera lay great stress on the neuration of the wings, 
and yet the method that they usually suggest for cleaning the scales from 
the wings is the extremely tedious and unsatisfactory one of removing them 
with a damp paint brush, or of rendering them temporarily transparent with 
benzine, Now, in my opinion, benzine does not leave the wing transparent long 
enough, especially when one catches a moth and does not know even in what 
family to classify it, SirG, F, Hampson’s book has so very few figures com- 
paratively, that unless one has access to a large collection or to some of the 
expensive books with coloured plates, several hours are often wasted before 
one finds the name of one’s capture. In the Cambridge Natural History, 
Insecta, Part IT, p. 368, there isa passing reference made to Hau de Javelle, 
but as the method of application is not given in full, I venture to give a way 
that I have found satisfactory : it was suggested to me at the South Kensing- 
ton Natural History Museum, I first set the moth or butterfly of which I 
wish to study the neuration and then I pin it on to the side of a piece of cork 
or card board with the body parallel to the plane of the cork, I then damp 
both wings on the right side with spirits of wine so as to make the scales 
pervious to water. Then intoa small gallipot filled with Eau de Javelle,a 
strong bleaching and corrosing solution which any good chemist can make up 
(I believe it is composed of Hypochlorite of Potash in water) I put the 
insect with the spirit-damped wings immersed right to the body. 
Ina few seconds the colouring matter of the scales is seen dissolving out 
and after a few minutes the scales themselves are dissolved, at this point the 
specimen must be taken out of the Haude Javelle and rinsed in water, as 
otherwise the solution corrodes the substance of the wing itself. 
Before removing the wings from the water used for rinsing them, a piece 
of clean blotting paper should be inserted under the wings which are now 
very limp, this will prevent the edges of the wing from bending over and 
crumpling. 
A gentle heat may now be used to dry the wings, perhaps the best plan is 
to apply hot dry blotting paper until the surplus water is removed ; then the 
- wings must be carefully raised off the blotting paper and the moth must be 
be re-set and left on the boards fer a few days. One specimen of each species 
might be dealt with in this way, when the collection would be of great value 
as showing the affinities of the groups. Amongst other things in a cleared 
wing, it is interesting to note the difference in structure of different parts 
underlying especial patterns as, for instance, the white spots of some of the 
Papilionide and the white bars of Neptis, As the neuration of the costal 
margin of the hindwing is important in taxonomy, the forewings of spec'- 
mens. devoted to the process should be set well forward. By leaving one side 
untreated the relations of the markings to the neuration are well emphasised. 
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