THE ENTOMOLOGIST 



Vol. XXIX.] SEPTEMBER, 1896. [No. 400. 



UNIFORMITY IN SETTING. 

 By J. H. Leech, B.A., F.L.S., &c. 



Besides appearance, uniformity of setting facilitates the 

 comparison of specimens to a very great extent. The methods 

 I am about to refer to have been adopted in my own and other 

 large collections both of British and foreign Lepidoptera, and I 

 seldom introduce specimens from foreign sources into my collec- 

 tion without having them reset. The continental or flat style of 

 setting has the following advantages over that usually practised 

 in England: — The pins are of uniform length for all thicknesses; 

 the specimens are well raised off the bottom of the drawer, so 

 that there is less danger of their being attacked by mites, &c. ; 

 the wings are flat, and therefore in a better position for ex- 

 amination and comparison than when sloped and curved to 

 different extents according to the fancy of the collector, or the 

 maker of the setting-boards ; the fringes also are not liable to 

 damage through contact with the bottom of the drawer, which is 

 so often the case with insects set in the English fashion. The 

 advantages of flat setting have been recognized at the Natural 

 History Museum for some years ; and within the last year or so, 

 the largest and most valuable collection of Lepidoptera in this 

 country is being entirely reset. 



In setting insects, the first thing to consider is the pin. 

 There are many different sorts and sizes ; the white and gilt 

 varieties are, however, almost universally condemned, owing to 

 their liability to verdigris and corrosion. My experience of the 

 English black pins (speaking of some years ago) is that they are 

 too soft, and the points very blunt. For some years I used an 

 iron pin of foreign make enamelled black ; this pin was not found 

 satisfactory, as it was too soft, and the enamel was so bad that 

 the pins when used in turf-lined drawers almost invariably 



ENTOM. — SEPT. 1896, T 



