THE WEEKLY ENTOMOLOGIST. 
170 
collecting the Aculeate Hymenop- 
tera " — “ A well-set bee is a beauti- 
ful object and again, at p. 106 — 
“ A collection well-set, in the man- 
ner pointed out, is worth a pilgrim- 
age to look at.” To these remarks 
I heartily subscribe, and what I feel 
so true as regards Hymenoptera, is 
no less so with respect to Coleoptera 
— in fact, they apply with equal 
force to all insects, of whatever 
order. Where grace and elegance 
are, there beauty must be, especially 
when the charm of color is likewise 
present. All these attributes are 
fully manifested in the insect world, 
which affords so many instances of 
Creative Wisdom. 
The desire is to preserve and ex- 
hibit their forms as beheld in nature, 
and in the following observations it 
is proposed to point out “ in full ” — 
as asked by one of your corres- 
pondents — what seem to me the best 
modes of accomplishing it. 
I shall in this paper confine my- 
self to such insects of the order 
Coleoptera as, from their minuteness, 
render it advisable to set them on 
card or paper, and hope to draw the 
attention of others to this matter, as 
I am far from thinking my own 
modus operandi is the best in vogue, 
but it may induce others to com- 
municate better plans through the 
medium of your pages ; thus, in the 
end, we may attain the object 
sought— viz., the best mode of setting 
Micro- Coleoptera. 
The chief object of setting the 
specimens is to display their 
scientific characters as fully as pos- 
sible for the purpose of study, and 
the investigation of genera and 
species. No plan has hitherto an- 
swered so well as setting the speci- 
mens on card or paper, as, when 
once dry, the legs, antennas, &c., are 
securely fixed in the positions re- 
quired. How to do this it is my pur- 
pose now to explain. 
Supposing’ myself with my setting 
case before me, my captures suffi- 
ciently relaxed for the operation, 
and that I am about to practice on a 
Curculio — say Clonus pulchelius — 
the implements required are — 
1 A simple microscope, fitted with 
a g’ood doublet. 
2 Two fine cork bungs, each of 
about l|-inch diameter. 
3 A join brace. 
4 A setting 1 needle. 
5 A pair of tongs, such as are 
used by watchmakers. 
6 A small camel’s hair brush. 
7 A hook. 
Also these accessories, viz. — 
8 A relaxing bottle, containing 
shredded laurel leaves. 
9 Card — the finest, whitest, and 
thinest to be procured — cut into 
pieces 3-inches square. 
10 Gum Tragacanth, diluted with 
boiling water to the consistency of 
treacle. — S. J. Wilkinson, 7, Jef- 
frey's Square, St. Mary Axe, E.C. 
(To le continued.) 
