Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-03
SUMMER TROP HES
New Ways Suggested to
Preserve Them.
NATURE PICTURES NOW
HAVE REPLACED THE OLD-TIME
HERBARIUM.
Hints fer Making, Pressing Flowers
and Preserving In
sects.
NATURE PICTURES NOW
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Women who return from the country,
mountain seasllore with beautiful speci-
mems of wild hwers, ferns and seaweed, as
well as butterflies, will do we'll to preserve
them in permanent form by making Ma
ture Pictures"
According to an ancient custom, botanica |
specimens have been pasted in herbariums.
while butterflies and kindred things have
been mounted on pins. Finally some one
originated the plaster mount for natural
history specimens, but the detail of prepar-
Ing the mount to suit the specimen, to-
gether with the Inconvenience of having a
collection in different sizes, proved rather
serious obstacle to their use. Besides. the
fragility of the mount and the brttleness of
the dried insects made the glass mount of
little practical value.
The idea of nature pictures finally sug-
gested itself TO the collector who was wise
and thoughtful enough to desire to preserve
other beautiful things besides insects in the
same way. specimen mount was origi-
mated wherein the insect could be advan-
tageously shown in connection with it's life
history and food plant. AS result of this
first effort, which was a great success.
everybody who is interested in nature is
making these nature pictures.
Not infrequently they are exquisite in
their blending of colors. For instance a
panel picture has for a background the reg
ulat1on white wadding stretched firmly
across the frame. In one corner of the
picture is a cluster of baby cattails with
their picturesque leaves. One little cattail
has broken neck one often sees them
in the swamp where the wind has done
damage dragon fly hovers over the dis
abled cattail, while a yellow and blue but
terfly fits about the clump of green The
object of this picture is apparent. 1t is to
show the life history of the dragon fly by
reproducing its natural haunts as nearly as
possible.
Butterflies and Flowers.
Another picture shows clump of golden
rod and ferns in the corner, with gaily col
ored butterflies bathing in the pollen of
the flowers.
Another dainty and realistic picture
shows a wild rose growing in garden.
The exquisite pink shade of the blossoms
is perfectly preserved, and the flowers
themselves look fresh in spite of the fact
that it is several months since the branch
was plucked and the petals pressed. in
the heart of one velvety rose is a humble
bee apparently slipping the fragrance of the
blossom. and quite intoxicated with it. So
lifelike does the bee appear that the spec
tator half expects to hear 1t hum between
sips of nectar. Two brilliantly colored
butterflies are in the foregrouad-one poised
on stem of the rose, another on the wing
flying in the direction of a blossom.
Not only the delicate flowers and ferns.
but the slender waving grasses of the field
and meadow are mounted the cotton
Wadding so cleverly that they appear to
stand out in bas-relief.
On the back of each picture the scientific
and common names of the specimens, and
the locality from which they We're taken,
are given.
Any one who unders lands the preserva-
ton of specimens against damage by
moths can mount these pictures satisfac-
torily and will be much gratified with the
results, for while the glass lasts the speci-
men will remain perfect.
How to Proceed.
First catch your hare before you cook
it," is an old adage. The application is
apparent Catch the butterfly in an insect
net, so the wings will not be injured. A
convenient, roughly-made one may be i'm
provised from a crotched branch. with a
net bag attached. In taking the insect
from the bag seize it by the body below
the wings. Never, under any circum-
stances, take hold of the wings. Stun the
insect by giving it's body a slight pinch, or
by dropping little chloroform on its head.
Then fold it in a piece of paper small
envelope and place in cyanide jar, leav-
ing it there for an hour or more.
A Fruit Jar Will Do.
A fruit jar or jelly glass will make 4
satisfactory apparatus. Place one-half
ounce of potassium cyanide in the bottom