crock, tin can, or any relaxing contrivance, its advantage being that it can be 

 kept quite wet. The sand should never be too wet, drops of moisture will 

 accumulate on the top of the jar and fall directly on the papers. Specimens 

 may become spoiled if they are "soaking wet." Blotting paper may be used to 

 absorb excessive moisture. If you were to plunge papered specimens in warm 

 water or steam them you would undoubtedly relax them quickly but you would 

 surely spoil a large proportion of them. Let them absorb moisture slowly and 

 they become soft and pliable without injury to their delicate plumage. 



RELAXING IN DAMP CLOTHS. 



Take a bath towel, a sheet or a soft blanket, saturate it with water in which 

 you have placed a small quantity of carbolic acid, wring it out thoroughly, fold 

 it twice lengthwise and then fold it back and forth upon itself three or four times; 

 between the heavy folds gently place your papered specimens. This is the easiest, 

 quickest, most satisfactory relaxing method ever discovered. If the sheet gets dry 

 before the insects are softened, and it probably will, sprinkle water upon it. Do 

 not pour water upon it nor pet it too wet or you will be apt to ruin some of the 

 delicate colorings. Simply keep it damp until the specimens are exactly in the 

 right condition for spreading. This will usually be quicker than if you placed 

 them in a relaxing jar, and after the second day you can open the papers and 

 test the rigidity of the butterfly by squeezing the sides of its thorax, beneath the 

 wings, with the jaws of the pliers. If the wings do not open readily put the 

 paper back in the damp cloth. Never try to spread butterflies or moths which 

 are not perfectly relaxed, yet do not let them relax longer than necessary, else the 

 wings will be likely to drop off the bodies. 



GUARDING AGAINST MOLD. 



You must constantly guard your specimens against mold while they are re- 

 laxing. It will form quickly, spread rapidly and will speedily ruin them. A tea- 

 spoonful of carbolic acid placed in the water which moistens the sand or in that 

 which saturates the sheet is a preventative against mold. Formalin and other dis- 

 infectants are used, but carbolic acid is best. Scald the sand occasionally and 

 bake it in an oven. Boil the sheet frequently. Cleanliness counts. So far as I 

 can learn mold is generally considered fatal to perfect specimens, but I have dis- 

 covered that very moldy insects may be restored to passably good condition by 

 soaking them in gasoline for several days. If any of my readers know of other 

 methods of removing mold I would be grateful for the information. In olden 

 times, before the efficacy of carbolic acid was understood, entomologists tried 

 to prevent mold by having an open tube in the side of the relaxing box to admit 

 a current of air. The tube was about half an inch in diameter and slanted upward 

 at an angle of forty-five degrees from the outside to the inside of the box. It is 

 said to have worked fairly well. 



REPAIRING SPECIMENS. 



Slight injuries to specimens may often be remedied. I unhesitatingly advise 

 you to throw away a worn or battered specimen whenever you come across it, 

 if it be of a common variety. It is a waste of time to bother with worthless, 

 damaged moths and butterflies. A very poor specimen may be kept until a better 

 one can be obtained, but this is about the only exception to the rule. You will 



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