_General Directions._--The boxes or cases which are used to keep insects in permanently may be made of any dimensions to suit the fancy, 12 by 16 inches inside being a convenient size and allowing economic use of cork. They must, however, be perfectly tight and should not be more than 21/2 inches deep on the inside. The bottoms should be lined with something which will hold the pins, and the whole inside covered with white paper, which, if delicately cross ruled, will facilitate the regular pinning of specimens. While the size and style of the box and cabinet may be left to individual taste, some choice must be had of material. _Red cedar should never be used._ I have learned, to my sorrow, the baneful effects of this wood, notwithstanding it is recommended--evidently by those who are guiltless of having used it--as having the advantage over other wood of keeping off museum pests. It seems impossible to get this wood so seasoned but that a certain amount of resin will continually exude from it; and insects in boxes of this material are very apt to soften and become greasy. Paper boxes are also bad, as they attract moisture and cause the specimens to mold. Well-seasoned pine and whitewood are the most satisfactory; and, in such boxes as have glass covers and are intended to form part of a neat cabinet for parlor ornament, the fronts may be of walnut or cherry. The character of the boxes and cabinets used for storing insects will depend largely on the nature and extent of the collection and the object of the collector. For temporary use, nothing is more convenient and economical than a cigar box lined with cork or pith. Such boxes, however, should be employed only for the temporary storage of fresh specimens, as they afford free access to museum pests, and insects kept in them for any length of time are apt to be destroyed or rendered useless. _The Folding-box._--The use of folding-boxes for the working collector is to be especially recommended in the case of those orders comprising small insects like Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, etc. These boxes have the great advantage of being readily rearranged on the shelves and of being very easily used in study. The boxes of this type now manufactured by John Schmidt, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and John Burr, of Camden, N. J., based on the experience which I have had, have proved so serviceable and satisfactory in this respect that I have employed them for the bulk of the collection in the National Museum. These boxes (Fig. 117) are constructed as follows: [Illustration: FIG. 117.--The Schmidt folding insect box, opened and showing arrangement of insects (original).]