The Preparation and Care of Insect Collections. 



179 



better to rely on the tight or disinfected boxes to insure their 

 protection. Light must be excluded from the collection, as 

 it fades and changes the colors. Continued exposure to 

 strong light has a surprising effect on many insects, bleach- 

 ing certain colors completely out. Dust on the specimens 

 can be washed off of the non-scaly or hairy insects with ether 

 or benzine, but from the Lepidoptera it is best to blow it off, 

 blowing from the head down the body. Where the insect 

 becomes greasy dirt adheres very tenaciously, and must be 

 removed with ether or some other grease solvent. It is well 

 before beginning to clean a very dirty insect to first immerse 

 it in warm water, to relax those brittle parts of the body that 

 are liable to be broken off by brushing. To remove grease 

 when it has remained for a long time in the body of an insect 

 is sometimes a very difficult matter, and in some cases the 

 discoloration caused by it will not come out. I treat a very 

 obstinate case, that will not yield to soaking in ether, benzine 

 or chloroform, for several days, as follow r s : If the subject is 

 a large beetle, break off the abdomen (if a small one simply 

 perforate), dig out the greasy matter from inside of both 

 thorax and abdomen, place the parts in a wide-mouthed bottle 

 or jar ; cover with bi-sulphide of carbon ; set a broad dish pan, 

 containing several inches of boiling water, on a stove, and in 

 this place the bottle after it has been gradually warmed. As 

 the bi-sulphide boils at a lower temperature than water, the 

 water need only be kept scalding hot. Care must be taken in 

 boiling both bi-sulphide and benzine, as they are very volatile 

 and explosive, and the gas should be allowed to escape from 

 the room. When the grease is all gone and the insect comes 

 out in its normal colors, dry it, glue on the thorax, re-pin and 

 it is again ready for the cabinet.- I have cured some very bad 

 cases of rare or unique specimens in this way. The forma- 

 tion of green oxide of copper (verdigris) on the pins and in 

 the body of the insect is another serious defacement, and if 

 allowed to remain, sometimes destroys the specimen. The 

 remedy for this is to first soften the insect by placing it over 

 night in the dampening crock, draw out the pin and drop into 

 a bottle of ether and cork up tight with rubber stopper. 

 Allow it to remain until the grease and oxide are dissolved 

 out; clean off* with a soft brush and re-pin. In this section of 



