77 



For bristle braces there is nothing equal in spring and smooth- 

 ness to the whiskers of an old torn cat, who can be deprived of 

 a sufficient number of whiskers to make an excellent set of bristle 

 braces without pain or inconvenience to the cat. 



Every drawer in the cabinet should contain plenty of naptha- 

 line and a small tube of glacial carbolic acid. Store boxes should 

 also have napthaline secured in muslin bags and tufts of wadding 

 on pins dipped in carbolic acid. This prevents mould and is not 

 beloved of mites. Periodic renewal as occasion requires is impera- 

 tive. 



Camphor is not, from my experience, much use, and tends to 

 produce grease. 



Insects should be kept in a dry place in the dark, and in an 

 even temperature. A Kerm gas stove with a chimney is, I find, 

 a most efficient stove for heating any museum room and keeping it 

 dry. 



Recording. 



Let us assume I have returned from a day's collecting in the 

 New Forest, and the following is my procedure : I first attend to 

 my animal comforts, for an equable frame of mind is the best one 

 in which to set to work. 



Then I turn all my captures in the pill boxes up on the table. 

 I sort out all those requiring the surgical operation mode, above 

 described, and put them on one side. The remainder are looked 

 at for chipped specimens which, unless badly required species, 

 are liberated. I then get out my diary, and pen and ink. 



My diary is ruled. Column one, the date. The rest of the 

 page is for matter. Column two, generic names. Column three, 

 specific names. Column four, is for a variety of little hiero- 

 glyphics, the utility of which I will describe later. I then write 

 in my diary my itinerary, state of the weather, direction and 

 strength of the wind, anything worth noting in the way of attacks 

 by birds on insects or insects on insects, habits noticed, flowers 

 preferred, mode of flight, courting, and the like. The relative 

 abundance or scarcity of insects seen, and similar information. 

 Next follows the list of the day's captures, so far as I know the 

 name, and a space for undetermined captures. The residue left 

 after the second examination are then turned glass down. The 

 pipette is charged with chloroform and, as I drop a drop of chloro- 

 form on to the hole in the lid of the box with my right hand I turn 

 it over with my left. A few minutes see all the boxes done, and 

 by the time the last is finished the first patient is ready for the 

 cyanide bottle. 



I now proceed to operate on the small stuff, as above described, 

 and this is important. As I finish with each setting board I put a 

 minus sign in the fourth column of my diary for every insect set, 

 against the known species names, and against the blanks for the 

 unknowns. I then write my data tickets for that board and, when 

 ticketted, I put a tick against the minus sign. About data tickets 



