RHOPALOCERA N I MONICA. 



not less than 30 feet of setting boards ； it should be very strongly made to withstand rough usage when 

 travelling. The boards should be made of soft wood, with cork or pith in the groove, and when they are 

 put away in the house, they should stand perpendicularly, to prevent the bodies of the specimens becoming 

 distorted, while drying. Tliev should be perfectly flat an d all of the same depth, not less than one inch* 

 The capes for rearin?" larv.v should be open Glass Cylinders, the tops being covered with net ； they 

 should stand on earthenware plates, each plate having a hole drilled in tlie nuci die, tlirough which the stalk 

 of ihe plant, on which the larva feeds, is immersed in a vessel lioldinp" water underneatli. The Cabinet 

 is, perhaps, the most important of all, as, unless it is a pood one, the results of the collectors' time 

 and trouble will be spoilt. After very 【nany experiments, I find the best wood for the drawers to be tlie 

 red wood of tlie cherry ； any fancy wood not given to warping- or giving off resin, may be used for the 

 case, but camphor wood, keyaki, cedar, pine, &c.， are most unsuitable. The drawers should be 14 in. 

 long by 2【 in. broaa, and will tlien hold one dozen small size sheet-cork, as it is a great advantage 

 to liave as many as possible of a gen us under observation at the same time. All drawers should have air- 

 tiglit lids, and for butterflies it is useful to liave both the tops and bottoms of glass. For the 

 la Iter, a narrow strip of cork is fastened between thin pieces of wood ； this is laid on the bottom and 

 secured in position bv means of a rack arrangement, which permits of the cork being shifted nearer or 

 further apart, as required by the size of the specimens. For moths it is only necessary to have the lid of 

 glass, tlie bottoms of the d rawcrs L»ein し )' lined with cork ami papered. The drawers should be of 

 sufficient deptli so that the heads of tlie pins do not touch the glass lid, or say 1 1 in. inside measurem ent. 

 Tlie sides sliould be double, an d tlie lid have a deep flange fitting accurately into the cavity thus formed. 

 丁 he drawers should be supported 011 sule run n ers, an J all sliould be made exactly of tli e same 

 gauge, so as to be interchangeable, if necessary. Only the very best workmanship sliould be e m- 

 ployed, so that neither moisture nor insects can obtain access to the contents. '丄 iie Pins for all 

 Macro-Iejjido[)tera should be of a unifonii length, but of different degrees of thickness. Those for M icro- 

 lepiaoptera should be smaller. The Pliers sliould be turned up at the point and the inner sides provided 

 w ith a い iu and socket. 1 lie Scissors should have line points — they are used for openins 5, the abdomen of 

 all large moths, the contents of wlilch should always be extracted. 



Only the best Cyanide should be used ； it is generally in thin cakes, and when its action 

 is sluggish, it can be freshened up by the addition of a few drops of vinegar. Napthaline placed in a 

 pocket between the double sides of the drawers, is the best protection against the attacks of insects. 

 Plumbi Precip. and Calcis Carb. sprinkled over the bottom of tlie drawers, although somewhat unsightly, 

 will in damp climates keep away mould and acari. If, however, mould appears persistently, the 

 drawers sliould be placed round a bright fire, some six feet distant, willi the lids removed, for 

 several liours, at intervals of a few days. As a substitute for this method, a small quantity of 

 Calcis Chloride, placed in a small pan in each drawer, for a short time, should be sufficient to absorb 

 all moisture. ^am pjior is worse than useless, as it only damages specimens, instead of acting as a 



