Specimens are taken from the collecting bottle, spread out on a sheet of white blotting paper and cleaned from adhering impurities either with a soft dry brush, or, in the case of species with hard covering, by washing them with chloroform or ether or benzine where necessary. Theoretically the best way of mounting would be to pin all specimens, since the under side with its important characters then remains free for examination. Pins adapted for pinning even the smallest insects have been described above, but this pinning is such a delicate operation and requires so much time that considering the large number of small specimens that may be collected on a single short excursion it is next to impossible to carry out this method, and therefore only the larger specimens need be pinned and the smaller may be glued onto the paper points described later. If the work is done with proper care all insects can be prepared for the cabinet so that both the upper and under surface of the specimen may be examined without further manipulation. _Pinning._--"Insects should be pinned through the middle of the thorax, when, as is more generally the case, this portion (the mesothorax) is largely developed. Beetles (_Coleoptera_) and Bugs (_Hemiptera_), should, however, be pinned, the former through the right elytron or wing-cover (Fig. 95), and the latter through the scutel or triangular piece behind the thorax, the pin issuing between the middle and hind legs (Fig. 96). The specimens look very pretty with all the legs neatly spread out, but for practical purposes it is better to let them dry in the natural, partly bent position. It is a saving of time and space, and the limbs are not so apt to break. The legs must also not reach too far downward or they will interfere with the proper labeling and the secure pinning of the specimen in the cabinet. Moreover, the antennae and legs must be brought into such position that they will not obstruct the view of any important part of the undersurface. The pin should always project about half an inch above the insect to facilitate handling, and uniformity in this regard will have much to do with the neat appearance of the collection. In pinning very large and heavy insects on a No. 4 or No. 5 pin, it is a good plan to first flatten the pin by a few blows of a hammer, in order to prevent the specimen from subsequently turning round on the pin." [Illustration: FIG. 95.--Method of pinning and labeling Coleoptera (original).] In pinning specimens which have a flat or nearly flat undersurface and short legs (as in many Coleoptera and Hemiptera and some Hymenoptera, _e. g._ the Saw-flies) the specimens are laid on a piece of cork and held in place there with the fingers or with a forceps. The pin is then pushed through the insect at the proper point, care being taken not to strike one of the legs or coxae, and that the pin passes through the specimen in a vertical direction.