THE BIRDS OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE. 
over the end of the stick. The net should be made of stout 
holland with a narrow piece of leather sewn round the rim to 
prevent the edges from wearing out, it should be half-a-yard 
deep with the corners rounded off. 
The next most important point, and to many people the most 
unpleasant is killing. The quickest and most painless way to do 
this is to drop the specimens into boiling water, but be sure the 
water is boiling, if this is done the beetles are killed instantly. 
Many species can be left in the water for hours without spoiling 
but some of the delicate species with soft elytra (wing cases), 
especially the Brachelytra or “cock-tails” as they are popularly 
called, should be taken out immediately with a small brush and 
laid on blotting paper, they should then be set as soon as possible. 
For setting a few setting needles will be required, these can 
easily be made by using ordinary needles fixed (eye-end) into 
small sticks, a match will do very well. A small patch of gum 
should be laid on the card with the brush, about the size of the 
beetle to be set, when by means of the setting-needle the legs and 
antennae should be drawn out neatly and evenly on each side. A 
little experience will soon teach the student to set neatly. The 
beetles should be set in rows, leaving a small space between 
each insect and from a quarter of an inch to an inch between 
each row (according to the size of the species set) when dry, 
which will be in a few hours. They should each be cut out 
separately and a small entomological pin run through the card a 
quarter or half an inch below the insect, each specimen should 
then be labelled with the date and locality, and any other infor¬ 
mation the student may think useful, before being pinned away 
in the store-box. Much valuable information may thus be 
obtained. Of course if the insects are set in gum arabac, they 
will have to be remounted, when dry (in a day or two), in gum 
tragacanth, they can then be cut out as before mentioned. 
(To be continued.) 
THE BIRDS OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE.* 
By Albert H. Waters, b.a. 
(Continued front page 51 .) 
Golden Oriole. 
I had the pleasure of seeing at Wicken, this summer, a nest of 
* Errata. — Page 51 (October Number), line 14, after Grasshopper War¬ 
bler, read, “ (Locustella ncevia)” ; line 15, for “ (Locustella ncevia)” read 
“ (Sylvia luscinoides ).” 
