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Preservation. 



I don't propose to give you a disquisition on setting boards. 



1 will merely say you will require an assortment, and more from 



2 to \\ inches wide than any other size. I find that about 180 

 represents my stock, and they all get a turn. 



The English fashion is to use rounded boards, it is a purely 

 insular practice with nothing to recommend it. The Continental 

 method is to use very high flat boards and immensely long pins. 

 The method in small insects looks unsightly, I prefer a moderately 

 long pin and flat boards. The pin should be high enough to keep 

 the insect well off the paper, and should be proportioned to the 

 size of the insect. In pinning, avoid disarranging the thoracic 

 crests, especially in Noctuae, as they are valuable for classification 

 purposes. 



Flat boards produce an insect with its wings more or less in 

 a horizontal plane, and this permits of easy examination under 

 a lense or microscope. The roundset insects are very difficult to 

 study in this manner. 



There are procurable now pins made of solid silver, they 

 are somewhat dear, but an active collector will not use £2 worth 

 a year and, since they do not verdigris, they are invaluable for 

 all insects tending to grease. 



When resetting do not, as recommended by the books, glue 

 the angles of the wings to prevent springing. If the wings do 

 spring it is impossible to reset a glued insect again without ruin- 

 ing it. Moreover, it tends to destroy the legs, the frenulum, and 

 the jugum, and retinaculum, all of which are of great importance. 



I have tried this method, and it is sinful. 



Another recommended nostrum, which is, likewise, an abomina- 

 tion, is dipping the entire insect in alcohol and mercuric 

 bichloride to preserve it against mites. It does preserve it, but 

 the value of the insect as a specimen is destroyed, since all ciliae 

 and hairs are spoiled, likewise the metallic colouring. Petrol is 

 the best thing to use if one wishes either to ensure that imported 

 insects have not got mites in them, or desires to remove grease. 



Setting. For very large insects I prefer transparent tracing 

 cloth in long strips, start at the top of the board and set down. 



For medium size insects strong tracing paper in long strips* 

 starting in the centre of the board and working to each end. 



For very small insects, bristle braces, and card triangles, 

 secured to pins by asphalt cement used for microscopic purposes. 

 Small insects should be stupified with chloroform only, set, and then 

 killed by touching the abdomen and head with a small sable brush 

 charged with chloroform. This prevents them coming round and 

 does less injury to their plumage than setting them when quite 

 dead. They must be thoroughly under the chloroform so that 

 they do not react when pinned and touched. In fact, treat them 

 as a patient undergoing a surgical operation, but don't let them 

 come round. 



