THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



231 



cess, such as a couple of pins placed against the shoulders and sometimes 

 cross ones to keep the abdomen down, but the principle is the same for all. 

 Our " Nepticula 3i being now properly set, the next thing to consider is the 



MOUNTING. 

 This, of course, is not commenced until the " Nepticula " is dry. Take a 

 pin (say a No. 20), cut off the head, and with the forceps turn down at right 

 angles a short piece of the pin, a little shorter than the body of the insect. 

 The "Nepticula" should now be unbraced and placed on its back on the 

 edge of the setting-board, so that its antenna? may project over and not get 

 broken. Stick the bent pin into a little block of cork, which will serve for 

 a handle, and then dip the bent portion into a solution of shellac in spirit, 

 and apply the pin to the ventral surface of the thorax and abdomen, so that 

 the small bent portion points to the head of the insect. If the shellac is 

 sufficiently liquid the pin will instantly adhere, and with the forceps may be 

 stuck into the setting board to dry. As this drying process goes on a little 

 attention will be required to keep the insect in a horizontal position. This 

 is easily accomplished by occasional touches with the setting needle. If the 

 shellac is too liquid it will penetrate the body, and perhaps spread to the 

 wings of the insect, which will then have the appearance of having become 

 greasy ; if not sufficiently liquid, the adhesion of the insect to the pin will be 

 imperfect and insecure. A few trials will soon disclose the happy medium. 

 If the shellac is in a watch glass or any very open vessel a drop or two of 

 spirit must be occasionally added to make up the loss by evaporation. It is 

 a good plan to use the shellac from a small test tube. With larger insects 

 such as Tortrices, the head of the pin is first beaten out flat, and then turned 

 down, thus giving a larger surface to support the body ; with larger insects 

 still, such as " Pyrales" the head of the pin, after being beaten out, is split 

 up with a pair of scissors so as to form a fork, and then turned down as 

 usual ; with even larger things such as " Sphingida" the two ends of the 

 forked part may be turned upwards with the forceps, so as to form a cradle, 

 which admirably supports the bodies of the largest species. Of course, differ- 

 ent sized pins are used to accomodate the different insects, but I think it 

 would be well to adopt one uniform height at which they should be supported 

 from the surface ef the cork. This is evidently an easy matter, depending 

 upon the length which is turned down and the thickness of the thorax. 



The advantages of this new method are obvious. In the first place the 

 process of setting is much facilitated, a large proportion of the difficulties 

 encountered being due to the action of the pin in displacing or destroying the 

 muscles of the Thorax. With no pin the wings instead of being thrown into 

 awkward and obstanate positions are generally flaccid and in beautiful con- 



