COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF INSECTS 



21 



Figure 13. — Portion of a spreading board, showing construction of the board r.; :. 

 steps in the process of spreading the wings and arranging the abdomen ana 

 antennae of a butterfly, order Lepidoptera. 



plete the process, hold the strip of semitransparent paper covering 

 the wings gently with the fingers of one hand and pull the wings 

 forward with an insect pin until the hind margin of the forewing is 

 at right angles to the body of the insect. The hind wing should then 

 be brought forward until its front margin is just under the hind 

 margin of the forewing. Pin both wings in place with plenty of 

 pins arranged around them, not through them. The abdomen and 

 antennae should also be held in place by pins. The paper strips hold- 

 ing the wings in place should be of fairly thin, not stiff, paper. 



The spreading block is a modification of the spreading board, de- 

 signed to accommodate very small moths and other small insects. Its 

 construction and use are illustrated in figure 14. The top of the block 



FiGTJBE 14. — Construction and use of the spreading block for small insects. 



