•34 . THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



soaked in benzine collas. The most convenient bottle that I have 

 tried is one holding 4 ozs., not more than 3 inches in height, and 

 having a mouth fully 1^ inches wide. From this bottle the bodies 

 can easily be removed, one by one, by means of a pair of forceps. 

 The bodies should remain several da5's at least in the benzine ; 

 and if the benzine becomes much discoloured by the grease, it 

 should be poured awa}^ and a fresh supply put into the bottle 

 before the bodies are removed. Large bodies or hardened ones, 

 and those not excavated at all, should remain a week or a fortnight 

 in the benzine. 



Drying. — Lay the body on blotting-paper, hut only for a few 

 seconds, and then bury it immediately in powdered French chalk, 

 and leave it there until next day. Then remove it from the chalk, 

 and shake and blow off the powder from the scales. The same 

 chalk may be used again and again. 



Mending. — Pull the body off its pin as carefully as possible, 

 and, holding it with a pair of pin-pointed forceps, attach it to its 

 place on its own insect with some shellac, and steady the body 

 in its proper position, by means of a pin or two, while the shellac 

 is drying. Air. Greene says, " If well done, the operation will 

 escape the most critical eye " ; and this is perfectly true. 



Now if it were only possible to doctor an insect when it was 

 at that particular state of partial dryness, which Mr. Greene con- 

 sidered so essential, it would often entail setting an insect twice 

 over; or if the whole process, such as I have described, was 

 obliged to be done straight away and at the same time, then it 

 would often interfere most dreadfully with other collecting work, 

 and for many people would be quite out of the question. But the 

 process may be completed bit by bit. The insects need not be 

 taken off the boards before they are thoroughly dry. The 

 " greasers " ma}' generally be put aside until a number have 

 accumulated, and a convenient time for the operation presents 

 itself. I often do them weeks after they have been killed, and I 

 always keep many until tlie winter before attacking them. After 

 excavating, pinning, and labelling, the bodies may be put aside 

 for a time; they may be allowed to remain in the benzine, or 

 buried in the chalk, as long as one likes. After drying, the 

 bodies may be pinned beside their respective insects in the store- 

 box, and be lelt there, to be stuck on during the winter evenings. 



1 think that by dividing up the process in this sort of way that 

 time enough can be found by most collectors to doctor, at anv 

 rate, the good specimens of rare species that are known to be 

 confirmed "greasers;" and that means the males of most 

 Bombyces and many others. The females need not, as a rule, be 

 doctored at all, except the Sesiidse, Hepialidge, and Cossidse. 



"Watergate, Emsworth, Hants. 



