3 08 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
and Gracilis will all do so; yet this year 
I have succeeded in bringing two or 
three dozen of the last-mentioned species 
to the pupa state, by keeping no more 
than three or four larvas together in a 
flower-pot, and so giving them plenty of 
room ; Taniocampa Munda I found to 
be a must domestic creature, — a dozen 
or more would spin a common web, and 
pass the day in it, side by side, most 
lovingly, at night coming out of it and 
dispersing to feed. 
Before I conclude this note, I will ask 
any one who has had undoubted proof of 
the cannibalism of Crocallis Elinguaria 
to publish it ; for, as far as the experience 
of myself and three or four friends goes, 
it is a very social, harmless creature. 
Q. 
UNIFORMITY IN SETTING INSECTS. 
To the Editor of the * 1 Intelligencer / 
Sir, — I beg to lay before your readers 
a few remarks on setting insects, which 
I think surely deserve some attention. 
There are now so many methods in use 
for setting them that it would puzzle the 
head of any one to please all his corre- 
spondents. If you send A. a box of 
insects, immediately he writes, “Sir, — I 
was disgusted with the fine specimen of 
Quercifolia ; you set it with a hedge- 
stake, No. 5: now I always set mine 
with No. 8. Again, I always set my 
specimens on flat boards, with the pin 
leaning slightly forward ; they look so 
nice compared with yours, which are 
set upright, on round boards. I threw 
your specimen on the fire in disgust, as 
I would not disgrace my other ten speci- 
mens of Quercifolia." 
Of course I thank A. for his advice’ 
and resolve to follow his plans in future 
to the very letter. Away goes a box to 
B. ; but, alas! another blow up. “Why, 
Sir, do you use that silly No. 8 pin for 
the Quercifolia P I cannot get hold of 
the head to put it in my cabinet. I 
always use Nos. 5 and 3 for the Bom- 
byces, and 8 for Noctuoe ; 15 for Geome- 
trse; 10 and 15 for Pyralides and Cram- 
bites; and 10 and 19 fur Tortrices and 
Tineae : pray set your specimens flat, with 
the pin leaning backwards; no collector 
will value re-set specimens. As I was 
at breakfast some of your specimens were 
at once consigned to the slop-basin, — a 
hard fate for poor Quercifolia .” 
I was fortunate enough to take a few 
specimens of Agrotis Saucia ; so I set 
them according to the modes of A. and 
B., with pins Nos. 8 and 5, and sent 
them to C., D. and E., as well as to A. 
and B.; but here I was doomed to ridi- 
cule. “Well,” says C., “I never use 
No. 5 for such Noctuee certainly; I do 
not like No. 5 for Saucia ; and not only 
that, but I like my specimens nearly flat, 
almost as flat as the Continental mode 
of setting, and I like to see the insects 
high up on the pins ; it keeps mites from 
attacking them, and as to dust it cannot 
accumulate when insects are so set. 
Never set your specimens with the pins 
leaning, but as upright as you can ; and 
as for your Crambites, I destroyed the 
whole, as No. 10 pins would never do : 
pray take more pains in setting your in- 
sects.” 
These are only a few samples of letters 
on the subject of selling, and all during 
the past season ; the whole of them would 
make a choice collection of autographs. 
Now if I receive all this abuse for setting 
flat, round, upright, and with Nos. 5, 8, 
10, 15 and other pins, what is to be said 
of those who set specimens with common 
shop-pins, and perhaps with pins leaning 
