290 PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



purposes (see page 109). There are many other sizes, but these 

 will be found quite sufficient for the beginner. These pins are 

 also gilt, under the impression that gilding tends to prevent the 

 corrosion of verdigris which the juices from the bodies of some 

 moths, the Hepialidoe especially, induce. This is not so; the 

 Continental black varnished pins are better safeguards, but pre- 

 judice forbids their use. Messrs. Tayler now make all their 

 sizes in "enamelled black" to order, at the same prices as their 

 gilded ones. Tarnishing the common entomological pins with 

 a hard and nearly colourless varnish has been tried with good 

 effect, though it is a trial of patience to do this to pins one by 

 one. E-eally the only thing to stop grease appearing in the 

 bodies of moths, to the subsequent breaking of your pins and 

 soiling of your cabinet paper or velvet, is to open all the insects 

 underneath, take out all their internal organs, carefully paint 

 the inside with a little of the corrosive sublimate preparation 

 (see page 78), and fill up the void with cotton wool. Unfor- 

 tunately the evil of greasy exudations from the bodies of un- 

 stufi'ed or low-set insects does not stop at the corrosion of the 

 j)ins or greasing of the paper, but in many cases extends to the 

 underlying cork, which is sometimes so badly greased as to 

 necessitate the cutting out of the damaged patch to prevent 

 the grease reappearing when the drawer is newly papered. 



Grease and Mites. — "Grease" and "mites" are in fact the 

 hetes noires of the entomological collector. When you have an 

 insect, therefore, old and greasy, but yet " too fondly dear " to 

 throw in the fire, place the offender on a piece of cork weighted 

 at the bottom with lead and sink it bodily in a wide-mouthed 

 bottle, partly full of benzoline; leave it there from a day to a 

 week, according to its state. When it comes out it will look even 

 worse than before, but after being covered up with a layer of 

 powdered chalk, magnesia, or plaster of Paris, it will often come 

 out as good as new. I say often, for cases occur now and then 

 in which no amount of pains restores the insect to its pristine 

 freshness ; but these exceptions are few and far between. 

 " Mitey " insects are cured in a similar manner ; in fact, I would 

 advise that all exchanges be submitted to the benzoline test. I 

 have also used Waterton's solution (see page 69) to plunge them 

 in, though 6gr. of corrosive sublimate to the ounce of alcohol are 



