COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF INSECTS 19 



mitted to get so thick that it "strings," and only a small amount should 

 be used. 



To mount most insects the tip of the card point should be bent 

 down at a slight angle so that when the insect is in an upright posi- 

 tion the bent tip of the point fits against the side of the insect (fig. 

 11, B). Only a very small part of the point should be bent; a little 

 practice will make it easy to judge how much of the point should 

 be bent and at what angle to fit the particular specimen that is being 

 mounted. Most insects that are mounted on points should be attached 

 to the point by the right side, although there are a few exceptions to 

 this rule. A convenient method is to arrange the insects on their 

 backs or left sides with their heads toward the worker; then, with 

 the pin held in the left hand, touch a bit of adhesive to the bent point 

 and apply it to the right side of the insect. If the tip of the point 

 can be slipped between the body of the insect and an adjacent leg, 

 a stronger mount will result. The insect should be attached to the 

 point by the side of the thorax, not by the wing, abdomen, or head. 



Some insects, too heavy to be held on the point by the adhesive and 

 not large enough to be pinned with regular pins, may be attached to 

 card points by puncturing the right side at the place where the card 

 point would normally be placed and inserting in this puncture the 

 tip of an unbent card point with a little adhesive on it. For punc- 

 turing specimens a needle ground to make a small, sharp scalpel is 

 best. 



To conserve pins and space in the collection it is sometimes advan- 

 tageous to mount two or three specimens of the same species on card 

 points on a single pin. These may be arranged one below the other 

 at different levels, or may be fanned out at the same level. 



"Minuten nadeln" are very small steel pins without heads which 

 are used to pin small insects on a piece of cork or pith, which is then 

 pinned on a regular insect pin, as illustrated in figure 11, 0, D. 



As with direct pinning, insects mounted on double mounts should 

 be prepared according to standard practices. For the commoner 

 groups these are as follows : 



1. Beetles, bugs, leafhoppers, etc. : Mount on card points with the tip bent 

 down and attached to the right side of the specimen (fig. 11, A, B). 



2. Small parasitic wasps : Mount on unbent card points with the adhesive ap- 

 plied to the left side of the specimen and the feet toward the pin. 



3. Small moths : Mount on "minuten nadeln" thrust through the middle of the 

 thorax from above and with the abdomen of the specimen toward the insect pin 

 (fig. 11, C). 



4. Small flies and mosquitoes : Pin with "minuten nadeln" through the side of 

 the thorax with the right side of the specimen toward the insect pin (fig. 11, D). 

 Some workers prefer small flies fastened directly to regular insect pins by a bit of 

 adhesive applied to the right side of the specimen. 



INFLATION OF LARVAE 



Although inflated larvae are not recommended as specimens in- 

 tended for critical scientific study, it is sometimes desirable to inflate 

 larvae for exhibition purposes. To do this the following simple 

 equipment is needed : 



