266 PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



purposes of study, but they are never impaled alive but by 

 a veiy ignorant or careless person. The lepidoptera (butterflies 

 especially) are very easy to kill, the simplest plan being to press 

 tbe thorax underneath the wing with the finger and thumb, 

 which instantly causes death. This is now superseded by the 

 cyanide bottle, of which anon. 



It is singular how many people there are, even in the middle 

 class, who fail to recognise the fact that the egg (ovum) produces 

 the caterpillar or "grub" (larva), which, after a due season of 

 preparation, produces the chrysalis (pupa), which latter, lying 

 quiescent for a variable period, either in the ground or in other 

 situations favourable for its development, changes the last time 

 to the perfect insect (imago). This latter, if a butterfly or moth, 

 does not, as some people imagine, grow, but after it has unfolded 

 its wings on emergence to their full extent, it never becomes 

 either larger or smaller. 



An insect, especially a butterfly, when seen by a youngster, 

 is usually chased in the most reckless fashion — jacket and cap, 

 and even sticks and stones, are pressed into the service, and the 

 unfortunate insect is usually a wreck before its fortuna.te (?) 

 captor falls on top of it. 



I shall endeavour in the following pages to show the proper 

 way in which to collect and preserve insects, especially the 

 lepidoptera and coleoptera. 



Nets. — The first thing to be considered is, how to catch your 

 game. This is managed by a "net," not of the construction of 

 those mentioned in Chapter II., but made of a lighter material. 

 They are of various shapes, the professional, or old English 

 pattern, being something of the construction of a " bat-folding " 

 net. It is, in my opinion, a most unsportsmanlike weapon, 

 rapidly going out of date — if not deceased already — and is fitly 

 replaced by the Continental, or "ring "-net, which is now 

 generally used. However, it may, perhaps, be necessary to 

 describe how to make this machine or clap-net — fit only for 

 dealers or exterminators. Procure two pieces of ash (or beech, 

 as being the lighter wood), each of about 5ft. in length. With 

 a plane or spokeshave round these up until they taper from 

 fin. diameter at bottom to little less than ^in. at top. Now 

 saw each rod into four pieces of 15in. long, or, for greater 



