XI 



out of place, for such insects as are disjointed will never set well, and fall to pieces in 

 a short time. And whereas some of the smaller flies or moths, by having so small a 

 quantity of humidity, are very apt to dry in the box soon after being stuck with a 

 pm, the Aurelian should take with him a quantity of such card braces as are described 

 on the setting-board in the twentieth plate, and expand or set their wings before he 

 goes out of the field, or rather as soon as he perceives them to be dead, otherwise it 

 is impossible to do it afterwards. 



It may not be improper to mention some other conveniences, which I have often 

 found very necessary, such as a pretty large clasp knife, and some needles and 

 thread. The first he will find useful on many occasions, and the second is necessary 

 in mending the nets, in case he should tear them, and to repair other disasters, which 

 are incident to people who frequent places where such sharp things as thorns and 

 briars grow. 



Having returned home with your insects, look in your boxes and observe which 

 of them is fit to set, such as are dead, but not stiff, are so ; then proceed to manage 

 with them as follow :— Take a fly, and observing if the pin be perpendicularly run 

 through the body, place it on the setting board, then with your point gently raise 

 one of the upper wings, till such time as the tip be even with the nose of the fly; 

 this done, fix one of your card braces on that wing, to prevent its giving way; do 

 the same by the wings on the other side, and your fly will be properly extended : 

 let the braces remain on the wings of butterflies a fortnight, on those of lar^e 

 moths a month. 



The setting-boards, of which it is proper to have three or four, should be 

 veneared over with cork, near a quarter of an inch in thickness, and covered over 

 with white paper, smoothly pasted and fixed on with gum Arabic. The point which 

 is made use of to set the flies, is nothing more than a common large needle, fixed 

 in a kind of handle. 



Although many and various have been the methods tried to preserve the flies in 

 cabinets, from small insects which destroy them, by eating away their bodies, yet 

 all attempts have been hitherto fruitless ; I therefore think it necessary in this place 

 to mention a method, which I think will effectually do the business, which is, to 

 admit the smoke of tobacco into the drawer, by a hole made in the back part for 

 that purpose ; or small pieces of camphor might perhaps be less offensive. 



