The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1901-1903, 1902-10-05


Butter flies.
Butterflies, because of their conspic-
uousness and beauty and their occur
renee almost everywhere, furnish an
attractive and ready means for study
ing the many curious and providential
ways in which nature provides for her
creatures.
Collecting butterflies is an interest
ing pursuit, and. besides. may become
profitable pastime. The most ordi-
| nary collections often sell for fair
prices, While those that are more elab-
crate, especially if they follow out
some scheme, as a collection to indi-
cate sleeping or feeding habits or
representing the varying daily or sea
sonal peculiarities of the insects, will
be very valuable. often running up in
the thcueards Of dollars.
The apparatus necessary for collect
ing and arranging these winged beau
ties is the simplest. consisting of few
articles. The first thing is the means of
capturing. Capturing is not done by
| hand, but by means of a net which
can be made from a small hoop at
tached to the end of an old broom
| handle The body of the net is made
/ of mesquite netting and should be
about two feet deep if the hoop is
foot in diameter. With little prac-
tice one can become skilled in hand
ling the net and may catch butterflies
rapidly and without in any way injur-
| ing their delicate wings.
In approaching the insect it is well
to wait until it has alighted and to
[ bring the net close to it as slowly as
possible, and keep it near the ground
and out of sight. When very close
to the prey a sudden stroke followed
by a quick backward movement will
bag the butterfly and fold the net
over so that it cannot escape. Never
touch the wings with the fingers in re-
moving the insect. Carefully insert
4 the killing bottle and allow the butter
fly to fiutter into the bottle and the
/ insertion of the cork will hold it a
! prisoner.
The killing bottle should be a wide
/ mouthed bottle into which the butter
| fly can pass without injury to the
wings. In the bottom should be placed
securely by means Of shellac a small
/ piece of cotton which is wet with ben
zine or common gasoline The vapors
from these substances produce an easy
and painless stupor, ending in death.
Do not be hasty in removing the but
ter1y after it has gone to sleep, be
cause the fresh air often revives it,
After the insects are captured and
\ killed they are ready to be pinned and
/ set For pinning always use insect
/ pins, which are much thinner than
| common pins, and will not rust. They
! cost five cents hundred.
A butterfly should be pinned through
/ the middle Of the thorax, and in snch
a way that the body is at right an
| giles to the pin. The thorax is between
the head and the point where the
1~wings join the body
After the insect is properly pinned
it is readygor setting, and for the proc
ess a setting board is necessary. The
setting board is a plain. fiat board with
numbers Of holes large enough to take
the head Of the pin. The insect IS laid
on the hoard back down, with the head
4 of the pin in the hole. The wings are
then spread and pinned down to the
board in such q way as to show all that
is possible Of their surface
The fore wings should be pulled for
ward so far that their hind edges may
be in the same straight line, and the
hind wings brought to such positicSs
as to leave about the same gap next to
the body as to the front wings In pull
ing these wings forward pin may be
used, inserting it Just behind the
strong vein or rib, which is plain, and
thus avoiding the danger of tearing.
After the wings are pinned down in.
the proper position it is a good plan
to lay strips of paper over them to
hold them straight, and after these
strips are pinned down remove the
pins in the wings, for if the pins are
left in the wings until they arc dry
Athe holes they have made will be cas-
lily seen.
After very little practice this work
is readily done, and no little taste and
skill can be shown in arranging the
wings to display the full beauty Of the
specimen After the wings are thor
oughly dry, which takes from three
or four days to a week, the insects
are ready to be placed in tho collec-
ton good and serviceable storage
case can be made from an old shirt
box. When the specimen is placed
in the collection case it is good plan
to write the date and locality OF cap
ture of every specimen and pin this
below it, thereby adding value to the
collection.-San Francisco Chronicle.