162 MlsceUanks, 



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 will 

 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. ofJVat. 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. In the 

 Journal of a JVaturalist, prussic acid is suggested ; but that is ' not 

 only very expensive, but a most dangerous thing to have any dealing 

 with. I have 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 under 

 side, holding it with its head towards you, firmly, but with as litde 

 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 first 

 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 I am writing 

 for the information of your young friends, I 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. — An Entomological Amateur. — Idem. 



3. Improvement in Ornithological terms. — Having observed in the 

 Gentleman's Magazine the amendments proposed by Mr. Vigors, in 

 substituting names which should express the actions of the different 

 kinds of birds, for those of Linnaeus, and admiring the happy selec- 

 tion of terms by which he has designated each class, it may appear 

 presumption to recommend any change. It is, therefore, with great 

 diffidence that 1 offer the following, having a reference to the struc- 

 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 per- 

 tica, a perch ; the expression insidere perticce, to sit on a perch, be- 

 ing well authenticated. With respect to the fourth class, the Gralla- 

 tores of Mr, Vigors, and Grallae of Linnaeus, expressive of the long 



