The Portland daily press., 1890-08-07

ON each side of the groove, about the centre;
secure 1t additionally by pin between each
butterfly; with the point of a pin arrange the
wings equally under the strips.
These drying-boards should be kept out of
the dust. or ants and flies may damage the
specimens. Many people have box with a
perforated zinc door, into which they slide
the boards.
In the case of dried specimens preserved
In envelopes, and which need relaxing before
setting, there are two ways of going to work.
The first is to float piece of cork in hot
water and to pin the specimen on to the cork.
The wings should not touch the water. A
saucepan is a good thing to use. as the lid
can be put on. The cork should float high
in the water.
But the best plan is to steam them in a
tin box with cord in the lid. Pin the insects
to the cork, and half fill the box with boiling
water and close it. II the boiling water as
it cools is renewed two or three times in an
hour or so the insects will be perfectly re-
Taxed.
They should then be set at once, after shak-
ing off the drops from the wings, and placed
near enough to the fire to feel the heat and to
dry quickly, but not too near.
The outer margins of the wings should be
covered with the setting braces the paper
strips, or they will curl up with the heat.
The wings should, If possible, not be allowed
to touch the cork when being relaxed. as they
suck up the moisture.
A butterfly cabinet with drawers is very
expensive, and beyond most boys means.
Cases to hold the butterflies should be uni
form In size, made of mahogany, seasoned
pine. or cedar. and lined with cork, and
fitted with glass lid on hinges. These can
be hung as ornaments against che wall. In
one corner should be fixed little perforated
tin matchbox containing lump of camphor.
The appearance of collection is much
improved by having piece of black cotton
stretched from two pins down the box be-
tween the lines of butterflies.
Cases for travelling should ON no account
be glazed. but be shaped like book. with a
hinge in the centre, that the butterflies may
be put on either side.
The pins used had better be the headless
taxidermist pins, sold for the purpose. which.
being so much slighter than the ordinary
pins, do not spoil the specimens.
Should the larger butterflies show signs of
solution OF oarbolic acid-equal parts or acid
and water
1t is unnecessary to catch more than four
or five good specimens of each class. First,
the male (Which is much smaller than the
female), secondly, the female can be set out.
Then two butterflies which have been set
with their wings closed, to show the under
markings, can be placed body to body to
economic space.
The fifth specimen may be some abnormal
one of the same class, If such has been
caught.
All valuable collections are kept away
from the light, which deteriorates them.
Some of the best specimens have been
bred for collection from the caterpillar. No
creature in nature goes through such mar
vellous evolutionary changes as the butterfly.
1t emeTges from the chrysalis, hanging on
the bough, the male appearing fifteen days
earlier than the female. The latter lays her
eggs, as it were, on her deathbed, and they
are Matched the following year into the min
utest of larva.
Each kind of butterfly lays its eggs in a
spot where the caterpillar can procure the
food peculiar to it. Thus caterpillars kept
in confinement require each kind different
sort of leaf.
Some caterpillars hibernate, and do not
turn into chrysalis till the second year.
In concluding. must warn boys against
handling hairy caterpillars with bare hands,
as when the hand so used touches the face or
neck it is apt to produce rash like nettle-
rash