THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



289 



Fig. 62 



Secondly, run a fine netting needle into a 

 match, so that the point is left projecting. 

 It is best to secure the eye en 1 with sealing 

 wax, thus — 



Fig. 63. 

 This I will call No. 2. 



It is advisable to have a set of from four to 

 half a dozen of the first described instrument, 

 as in the case of large and powerful insects 

 one is not sufficient to secure each pair of 

 wings. 



Your insect being fastened in its proper 

 position on the setting board, take instrument 

 No. 2 in the left, and instrument No. 1 in 

 the right hand. Gently insert the firs , under the 

 base of the fore wing, pressing lightly for- 

 ward with the needle against the base of the 

 costal nervure, till you have, by exerting this 

 pressure, pushed the fore wing sufficiently in 

 advance of the head of the insect to suit 

 your purpose. All this time No. r must be 

 held over the centre of the wings, ready to be 

 pressed lightly into the setting board, when 

 you have pushed forward the wing, so that 

 the tip of the bristle confines, and presses 

 down the costa of the fore wing. 



It will be seen that No. 1 must be so situate 

 with respect to the board that its pin slants a 

 little towards the costa of the wing. Now 

 gently push up the hind wing in the same 

 way, securing it by increasing the pressure 

 from No. 1 till it holds it firmly in place, 

 thus — 



Fig. 64. 



I Then proceed in the same way with the other 

 pair of wings, and take a bird's eye view of 

 the whole, so as to be certain that the tips of 

 the wings are exactly on a level. Nothing 

 ! now remains but to fix the wings in position, 

 i either with one, two, three, or four slips of 

 cardboard to each pair, as already described 

 by your correspondents. I always pinned 

 down the cardboard slips but, no doubt, 

 string would answer the same purpose, and 

 save the wear and roughening of surface 

 which result from a constant succession of 

 holes made either in cork or ash wood, and 

 which greatly facilitate the removal of scales 

 and cilia from the wings, but answer no 

 I useful purpose whatever. By the bye ordin- 

 ary writing paper is better than card board. 

 When the braces are fixed remove No. 1. 

 j With a little care this mode of setting may 

 j be carried to such perfection that net the 

 1 smallest scratch or hole will be discernible in 

 the specimen operated on, even when held up 

 to the light, It is better always to secure 

 I the apex of each fore wing by means of a 

 brace. If this is not done it is liable to curl 

 i whilst drying. Personally I prefer to take 

 some pains over the antennae, and secure 

 them in such a position that they are dis- 

 j played in such an advantageous manner for 

 j study, by means of one or more pins placed 

 on either side of them, and a brace over each, 

 j about the centre, to prevent slipping. So 

 j that when dry they present the appearance 

 shewn in the cut to Mr. S. D. Bairstow's 

 paper on Ophion obscurus (Y. N., vol. 1, page 

 212). But great care is necessary in remov- 

 ing the pins and braces, and most of my cor- 

 respondents seem to think it waste of time to 

 bother about the antennae at all. The legs 

 should be attended to before the antennae, 

 and fixed as in the same figure. When they 

 cannot be rested on the edges of the groove, 

 a piece of card must be pinned in the groove 

 in front of the insect for them to rest upon. 

 It is better also for the body to be supported 

 in a like manner. 



