6692 Insects. 



How to cure Grease in Insects. — Nothing can be more disfiguring to a collection 

 of insects than grease, a single oily specimen being sufficient to spoil the appearance 

 of an entire drawer. The usual method of removing it is, to immerse the insect for a 

 certain period in camphine, rectified spirits of turpentine, borneote of petroline, &c, 

 according to the fancy of the respective operators ; and, after having dried it with 

 bloiting-paper, to envelope it in magnesia or finely-powdered chalk, which is after- 

 wards removed with a camel's-hair brush. But, however well this may be done, the 

 insect rarely possesses, after the operation, its original fresh and downy appearance ; 

 it is always liable to become again greasy, and not unfrequently, especially in the 

 case of the Geometrae, the wings become hopelessly crumpled ; at any rate, I have 

 experienced all these misfortunes. But irrespective of these objections, whether well 

 or ill-founded, " prevention is better than cure; " and as an unfailing means of pro- 

 curing the former desirable result, I submit to your readers the subjoined method, 

 which I have tried, with complete success, for some years past. As the Bombyces are 

 especially liable to grease, let us take Notodonta dictaea (male) as an illustration of 

 my system. When the insect has been on the setting-board a sufficiently long time 

 to render the contents of the body firm and viscid (not hard), remove it. Take a pair 

 of fine-pointed, sharp scissors, and cut, from the under side of the body, a small slip, 

 i. e., beginning at the extremity of the abdomen, on the left-hand side, cut up to the 

 thorax ; and having done the same with the right side, remove the slip thus made. 

 Care of course must be taken not to cut too deep. Take now a penknife, and, 

 inserting the point at the thorax, draw it gently down each side of the body. This 

 can readily be done if the contents are not hard, and in most cases the whole can be 

 picked out in one lump with the point of the knife. This being prosperously effected, 

 carefully break off the body immediately (otherwise the grease will run into the 

 thorax, and your labour be in vain) ; and having done this, take a fine pin, and run it 

 through one side of the empty body, for about one-eighth of an inch. Let it remain 

 for two or three days, and then immerse it any of the above-named fluids for about 

 six hours. Afterwards dry it on blotting-paper, which in most cases will be found 

 sufficient. Very feathery bodies, however, will be improved by covering them for a 

 day with magnesia, after having been dried for a quarter of an hour or so upon the 

 blotting-paper. Alter this process the body will be found wholly free from grease, 

 and may be re-united to the insect with a l^tle strong gum. If kept for years it will 

 never grease; and a second advantage is, that, all moisture being removed, the pin 

 can never be crusted with verdigris. The object of running a pin through the side is, 

 first, that by means of it the body can be removed from the camphine, with a pair of 

 scissors, without injury ; and, secondly, for the purpose of attaching a little paper 

 label to it. It would obviously be a troublesome business thus to wash out each 

 body as it became ready. Having therefore, suppose, twelve pupee of N. dictaea, 

 which emerge at different times during a fortnight, I clean each as it is ready, and, 

 having broken off the body, attach to the pin a little paper label, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 

 corresponding with a similar label attached to the insect. This is of course that each 

 insect may obtain its own " corpus." The number must be written in pencil, as, if in 

 ink, it will be obliterated. The body will sometimes (for what reason I know not) be 

 filled with a dark fluid. In this case take a little roll of blotting-paper, and fix it in 

 the body. This will absoib the moisture. Afterwards immerse it in the camphine, 

 &c, as above. The method may appear elaborate, but in reality is as simple as pos- 

 sib'e. It demands a little trouble, no doubt; but what of that ? The result more than 



