INSECTS. 03 



Setting-Boards. — These must be made of deal board, from a 

 foot to fifteen inches long, and eight or ten inches broad, With a 

 piece of wood run across the ends, to prevent them from warping. 

 They are covered with cork, which must be perfectly smooth on 

 the surface, with white paper pasted over it. Several boards will 

 be required, by persons who are making collections, as some of 

 the insects take a considerable time to dry, so that they may be 

 lit for introducing into a cabinet. 



The boards should be kept in a frame made for the purpose. 

 It should consist of a top, bottom, and two sides ; the back and 

 front should have the frames of doors attached by small hinges, 

 and their centers covered with fine gauze, for the free passage of 

 air ; the sides should have small pieces of wood projecting from 

 them, for the boards to rest on ; which should be at such a 

 distance from each other that the pins may not be displaced in 

 pushing the boards in or drawing them out. The frame should 

 be placed in a dry, airy situation. 



Braces. — These are merely small pieces of card, cut in the 

 form exhibited, fig. 36, attached to the butterfly and other insects ; 

 and also at fig. 39. They are pinned down on the insects, to keep 

 their wings, &c, in a proper state, till they acquire a set. 



SETTING AND PRESERVING INSECTS. 



Of the orders Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and Hemiptera. 

 These are easily preserved. 



They are killed by immersing in scalding water, and then laid 

 upon blossom or blotting paper, for the purpose of absorbing as 

 much of the moisture as possible; or they may be placed in a 

 tin box, with a little camphor in it, near the fire, which soon kills 

 them. This is besides of considerable effect in their preservation. 



Insects of the genera Gryllus (Cricket), Locusta (Locusts), &c., 

 have tender bodies, and are sure to shrivel in drying. The intes- 

 tines should therefore be extracted, while they are yet moist, and 

 skin filled with cotton, as directed with some of the spiders. 



When Coleopterous insects are set with the wings displayed, 

 the elytra should be separated, and the pin passed through their 

 body near the middle of the thorax, as in fig. 35. The wings 

 are exhibited as in the act of flying, and are retained in this situa- 

 tion until they are quite dry, by the cord braces. The insects of 



