CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN ENTOMOLOGY. 

 Conducted Under the Auspices of The Agassiz Association. 

 Lesson VII. The Care of Specimens. 

 RUINING PERFECT SPECIMENS. 



When the beginner has a perfect specimen in the net or hatching box, 

 a real prize specimen worth its weight in gold, the chances are about ten to one 

 that his carelessness will prove its utter ruination. It is one thing to capture 

 an absolutely perfect butterfly, but it is decidedly a different thing to get it to 

 a purchaser or mounted in a cabinet in perfect condition. It may spoil its 

 wings against the sides of the net or cage before you get it in the cyanide bottle, 

 it may damage its plumage by its flutterings in the bottle, or by the flutterings 

 of other flies which are piled pell-mell in the same bottle, and it will surely be 

 badly marred by the friction of its delicate scales against the other specimens 

 in the bottle in carrying it home if he is not exceedingly careful. He may 

 break its legs, antennae or wings while pinning, spreading or handling it, or in 

 packing the papered specimen in a box for shipment without first softening 

 it in a damp towel or sheet, or placing it in a relaxing box, or it may be 

 crushed by rough handling in the mail bags. Finally, it may become infested 

 with dermestides at any state of the process and be literally devoured. Any 

 one can capture or hatch perfect butterflies, but only an expert can exercise 

 the requisite care to get them to their destination without injury. Yet, every 

 single step in the process is simple and safe, and there is no excuse whatever 

 for spoiling a specimen. 



THE COLLECTING BOX. 



When sugaring for moths every moment of time is precious, for in a couple 

 of hours their flight will probably cease. If you sort your catch frequently and 

 place the perfect ones carefully in the morgue or collecting jar, they will, of 

 course, lie perfectly still until you start home, and with due care not to shake 

 or jostle the jar, they may be safely carried any distance. I have carried hun- 

 dreds of moths in one fruit jar from the sugaring route without harming an 

 insect. On butterfly jaunts don't trust this method. Sort your flies frequently 

 and either pin or paper all cabinet specimens and place them in what is usually 

 termed a collecting box. This may be an ordinary empty cigar box if you 

 put the flies in papers, or may be cork-lined if you pin them, or it may be an 

 elaborate metal-lined affair with receptacles for cyanide and delicate springs 

 to gently hold the papers in place. If possible have the best paraphernalia, 

 but in an emergency use what comes to your hand. 



PINNING THE COLLECTION. 



Some collectors carry a cigar box lined with sheet-cork and an assortment 

 of entomological pins, and as soon as the flies are dead they are pinned in the 

 box. Pins may be conveniently carried in short homeopathic vials each labeled 

 with the number of the pin it contains. No. 1 should be used for very small 

 flies, 2 and 3 for the majority of insects and larger numbers for the largest 

 specimens. Small pins bend easily and cause great annoyance, but very small 

 specimens should not be impaled upon large pins. No matter how brisk the 

 collecting is, sort your specimens frequently and pin the perfect ones in the box 



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