THE SPREADING OUTFIT. 



You should expand the wings of a butterfly until they are extended as 

 when in flight, and should fasten them smoothly in a horizontal position until 

 they dry. This requires a spreading board, a spreading needle, some narrow 

 strips of paper and a supply of black mourning pins. To make an excellent 

 spreading needle, take a tapering penholder and into the small end thrust the 

 eye-end of a cambric needle, letting the point of the needle project half an 

 inch. A small round stick the size of an ordinary slate pencil answers as well 

 c>s a penholder. To thrust a needle into wood, heat the end where the eye 

 is situated in the flame of an alcohol lamp and by means of a pair of forceps 

 press the red hot end into the wood. Repeat the process until the hole is deep 

 enough, and when the needle has cooled give it an extra pressure with the for- 

 ceps. Strips of any tough, strong, smooth paper, such as druggist's wrapping 

 paper, a good quality of writing paper or, best of all, the tracing-cloth used 

 by surveyors, may be used to hold the wings in place while drying. They may 

 be of any desired length, and from a sixteenth to say half an inch in width. 



THE SPREADING BOARD. 



If you have never seen a spreading board, send at once to the Entomo- 

 logical Supply Houses (see page 9) and purchase samples. You will make 

 no mistake if you buy all your spreading boards instead of having them made 

 at home. Any carpenter can make them after seeing a sample, but it is a 

 luxury to have the best boards if you can afford them. They consist of two 

 strios of soft wood, such as pine, redwood, linden or white-wood, fastened at the 

 ends to cleats or braces. Between the two strips of board is a narrow groove in 

 which the bodies of the insects may rest, and underneath this groove is a strip 

 of cork or cork linoleum though which the pin passes. Sometimes a board on 

 the bottom of the cleats contains the cork in which the pinpoints rest, and acts 

 as an automatic height adjuster. As the wings on the two sides of the butter- 

 flies should be spread at equal heights and as uniformly as possible, the boards 

 with guide lines are recommended for beginners. You should have an assort- 

 ment of spreading boards having grooves and sides of different widths. The 

 groove should be just a little wider than the body, and the sides of the board 

 should be wide enough so that the ends of the wings do not project over the 

 edge. The length of the board is immaterial. A board 1 2 inches long is very 

 convenient. 



AMERICAN AND ENGLISH METHODS. 



The "American" or "Standard" method of spreading is to have the tips 

 of the wings higher than the bases, and beveled boards are made higher at 

 the sides than at the center. It is contended that in a damp atmosphere the 

 wings are inclined to relax and droop and by having the tips of the wings 

 elevated a collection presents a better appearance. The government at Wash- 

 ington has adopted the American plan and many scientists are among its en- 

 thusiastic advocates. On the other hand, the English method of spreading is to 

 have the tips of the wings lower than the bases, the butterflies having a slight 

 droop when removed from the boards. These different methods are mentioned 

 not to confuse the beginner, but simply to inform him that entomologists do 

 not agree on this subject. If you place your butterflies in Riker, Ximena Mc- 

 Glashan or Denton Brothers' mounts the wings should be level. 



144 



