THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



showed signs of life, but they soon dried up and died. By confining female 

 specimens (especially such as are in a damaged condition) of our rarer moths 

 in boxes eggs may often be obtained ; and from these, with attention and 

 care, the whole history of the species may be worked out. 



NEW FLUID FOR PRESERVING LARV^, &c. 

 A cheap fluid for the satisfactory preservation of larvas and other soft ani- 

 mal forms has long been a desideratum among naturalists. The following 

 solutions, prepared by Prof. Verrill, and published by him in Silliman's 

 Journal, have been found satisfactory for the preservation of both the colour 

 and form, as well as the structure of larva, fishes, mollusks and leaves of 



plants : 



SOLUTION A. 1 ; (which may be kept in wooden casks.) 



Rock salt 40 oz. 



Nitre (nitrate of potassa) 4 oz. 



Soft water 1 gallon. 



This is the final solution in which all invertebrate animals must be pre- 

 served. A solution with double the amount of water may be kept, and called 

 A. II; another, with three gallons of water, will be A. III. 



SOLUTION B. 1. 



Soft water 1 gallon . 



Solution A. 1 1 quart. 



Arseniate of potassa 1 oz. 



Another solution, with double the amount of water, may be made, and 

 called solution B. II. 



To preserve insects with these solutions, they are placed first in solution B. 

 I., but if the weather be cool it would be better to first employ B. II. If the 

 specimens rise to the surface they should be kept under by mechanical means. . 

 After remaining for several hours, or a day (varying according to the size and 

 the weather), in the B. I. solution, they may be transferred to A. III., and 

 then successively to A. II. and A. I., and when thus fully preserved they may 

 be transferred to a fresh portion of the last solution, which has been filtered 

 clean and bright, and put up in a cabinet, when no further change will be 

 necessary, if the bottle or other vessel be properly secured to prevent the es- 

 cape of the fluid by crystallization around the opening. To prevent this, the 

 stopper, whether of coik or gl-ass, together with the neck of the bottle, may 

 be covered with a solution of paraffine, or wax in turpentine, or benzole, 

 which should be applied only when the surfaces are quite dry and clean. The 

 length of time that any specimen should remain in each of the solutions is 

 usually indicated by their sinking to the bottom when saturated with it. In 

 many cases but two solutions below A. I. will be eff'ectual. 



