230 



THE YOUNG NATUBALIST. 



ease the smallest " Nepticula," with the gratifyng assurance that the work 

 once done is done for ever. 



The system advocated in the Entomologist (Yol. xviii. No. 266, p. 183) 

 I shall now briefly proceed to describe. The process consists of two distinct 

 stages, the insects first being set and afterwards mounted upon a support. 

 We will first consider the 



SETTING. 



Suppose we have a " Nepticula " to deal with. After it is killed, throw it on 

 to the setting board. With the setting- needles then turn it on to its ventral 

 surface and hold the insect down (say with the left hand) with one needle, by 

 gently pressing the body where the abdomen joins the thorax, that is to say 

 at the base of the anterior wings on the inner margin. A breath will now 

 blow out at least one pair of wings, probably the right hand pair, perhaps 

 both, but this depends upon the position in which the setting needle is held. 

 If only one pair is blown out change the setting needle to the right hand 

 and repeat the operation, when all the wings will be expanded. At this stage 

 the position of the legs and antennae may advantageously receive attention, 

 the first and third pairs of legs being the most important. The next thing 

 is to place the insect, wings expanded, upon the groove of the setting-board, 

 but before proceeding further it should be noted that the size of the groove, 

 both as regards width and depth, is a most important matter. It should cer- 

 tainly not be wider than the thorax of the insect, even a tight fit being some- 

 times an advantage, and its depth just sufficient to allow the body to touch 

 the bottom of the groove, with the wings resting flat upon the board. With 

 a steady hand now raise the insect up by sliding the two setting needles one 

 under each pair of wings, and lifting it into the groove. If the size of the 

 groove has been properly chosen, a slight pressure with the needle will suffice 

 to retain the insect in its proper position for setting, or perhaps a pin or a 

 brace may be required for that purpose. The wings are now to be got into 

 position for bracing, which is best accomplished by pushing them up not 

 horizontally, but by working in a curve vertically. A little reflection will 

 show that one might expect such a result, because this is the natural line 

 followed by the up and down motion of the wings in fight, and they move 

 much more freely in this direction than in any other. Indeed I have on 

 many occasions set out a " Nepticula 3> on the board without placing it into 

 the groove at all, or employing any means whatever to keep the body still. 

 Such a delicate operation being utterly impossible without a due regard to 

 this important matter, and I must urge upon all who wish to succeed the 

 imperative necessity of careful thought and attention to these details of 

 manipulation. Large insects will require some little modification in the pro- 



