Notes on Collecting and Preserving Natural-History Objects — John Shaqi
Notes on Collecting and Preserving Natural-History Objects
Science
Notes on Collecting and Preserving Natural-History Objects
Botanical specimens -- Collection and preservation; Zoological specimens -- Collection and preservation
Having killed them, there only remains to pin and set them. There are
various sizes of pins used; most collectors have fancies of their
own on this subject; I shall therefore only say what is my practice.
The pins I use are D. F. Tayler & Co.'s, New Hall Works, Birmingham;
No. 15 for bumble-bees only; the other sizes I find most useful are
15, 10, and 18. Some pin the insects straight, and some with the pin
inclining forward. Having pinned them, the next thing is to set them.
There are two ways of doing this; one is, cut an oblong square of stout
cardboard, and put a pin through one end; after the legs are stretched
out, this is put into the cork, one on each side, till the upper
surface of cork is just below the level of the wings, which are then
laid out on the card, and held there by a brace the same shape as the
table (see Fig. 28). If the insect has been properly killed, the legs
and antennæ will keep set out without the aid of pins; if not, this is
done with bent or straight pins, as may be necessary. The other way is
a "hymn of my own composing."
[Illustration: Fig. 28 Insect set with Table Braces.]
[Illustration: Fig. 29 Wood, with the Strips glued on.]
First take one of the strips of cork as sold at the shops, paper it on
both sides with thin soft paper; then take a piece of wood a little
larger than the cork, about half an inch thick; on this I glue strips
of cardboard, or thin wood, according to the size of the insect, side
by side, and as far apart as necessary (see Fig. 29). These being dry,
I glue the sheet of cork on to the top of the strips, which leaves it
looking like a succession of bridges. When this is dry the cork must be
cut through between the pieces first fastened on the wood. These pieces
are then taken out and glued to the wood (see Fig. 30); this leaves
many setting boards, something similar to the single rounded ones used
by Lepidopterists; but these are flat--they want to be just deep enough
for the insect and wide enough to allow the legs to be stretched out. A
little practice will soon determine the size. The wing I hold down with
small triangular braces. Each board will hold about seventy or eighty
insects; beneath I put the date they were set, and leave them on the
board about a month to dry, as if taken off too soon the wings spring.
Always put a label to each specimen, either with the date or a number
corresponding to one in a book, in which enter the date and locality.
[Illustration: Fig. 30. Ditto, side view. A, the same with the cork
glued on; B, cork; C, the same with the cork cut through at the dotted
lines in A, and fastened down.]
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