How to mount butterflies

Title

Language

English

Year

1941

Subject

Butterflies.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

Ways in mounting butterflies.

Fulltext

THE YOUNG CITIZEN NOVEMBER, 1941 HOW TO MOUNT BUTTERFLIES I N MOUNTING bµtterflies, there are, of course, various methods of going to work, all of which are good. · The first thing is to make one or more setting boards, .and these will vary in size a'ccording to the size of the specimens. Down t.he center of- the board m;ke a groove. At the bottom of the groove a thin stri.p of cork about an eighth of an ~nch in thickness must be glued, an'd the board planed down slightly on each sic\e of the groove until a section has the appearance shown in the first pi<ture. tn making these boards the most important points to remember are that the grooves should be wide enough to take the body of the insect comfortably, and of such depth as to leave a small space between the board and the wings when the body is pinned down to the cork. The actual degree of slope on each side of the groove is not important. of the insect, the head of the pin should slope a little forward towards ,the head of the i~sect, and about three-eighths of an inch should project beneath the body. Be very careful that the upper par_ t of the pin does not lean to either side. Pin the specimen down to the board, with the body resting in the groove, and a slight space between the wings and the ·board. The delicate operation of arranging the wings comes next, and is done by means of thread and a fine needle. The body is in position in the groove, and the butterfly's wings are clos.ed together. Using a pin stuck in the board as a pivot, and tying ta this a piece of th>ead, we insert the thread between ihe wings and gently draw the wings down to one side, arranging them with the needle while the thread is still over them. When the speci-. men is dry all supports except the body pins are removed. The next thing to do is to pin down the insects, and this is the most difficult part of the setting. These pins Thr'et Ways of Mounti11y N' ow we have to fix the wings, and there are various methods of doing this, as shown in the second picture. can be purchased at a science supply house.* Black ones have the best appear·ance. To begin with, three sizes of pins will be sufficient, the shortest being for s'\'all butterflies and moths, the longest for the very large specimens, and the middle size for the rest. In putting the pin thr6ugh the body • Botica Boie, Escolta, Manila. We may use small pieces of cardboard, pinning them down as shown, or we must use a piece of transparent binding paper, which can be purchased at any store where s~ience supp~ies are kept.* If this transparent paper is used, we may cover all the wings on each side, as ~hown in the second picture. Or we can fix the wings down with threads passed around the (Pleau turn to page 4o8.) ·THE YOUNG CITIZEN NOVEMBER, 19.p THE OLD CLOCK DEBUSSY I MOUNTING BUTTERFLIES (Con tinued fr(Jm page 394) (Continued from page 398) (Continued from page 400) thought, as he macje his way plies, goes up and down in board lengthwise, an <l across the wla, "and I can steps of a whole tone, with- fastened in tiny notches at do it." out any of the half-tone in- each end of the board, as Crash! There was a tervals found in the diatonic shown in the lowest P.icture. dreadful noise He had scales. This explains some To keep the body pushed over the tall, old of the p e c u 1 i a r chords straight, pins should be clock in the dark. Uncle which he uses. stuck into the groove of the Juan's door opened quick- He never crowds his mu- board undern~ath the-lower ly, and he came hurrying sic with tone color, but he end of the body to support with a flashlight in his has made music express it. The feelers (antennae) hand. poetic feeling in the most and legs of the butterfly "Why, I'sidro, what's the delicate and unusual fash- should be carefully armatter ?" ion. One simply feels the ranged, and, if necessary, "Oh, U ncle Juan, I just effect of his music as one may be kept in position by meant--" he began. ' "I dbeoae · us t1.5fut1nl laigfthetr,nooorn.a ·calm pins stuck into the board slantingwise and pressing wa2ted it to-.- " " Musicians .ha v,e peen upon the feelers and the If you will help me, keenly interested in D ebus- legs. said Uncle Juan, "perhaps sy's use of the old Greek The specimens should be together we can lift it up." scales and in his orchestral laid aside in a shady, dry There was not much combinations. But to the place, free from dust and damage done. The works listener, the point of inter- secure from the attacks of of the old clock were un- eEt is in the effect of the ants, mice, or cockroaches. hurt, but the back of the music. Small specimens will dry case was broken right away. Claude Deb~1ssy is the quickly, but the larger ones It lay splintered from the real founder of modern may take several weeks. fall, and there among the music. His highly original To know whether a specisplinters was something else methods of harmonizing men is ready for placing in ' -a long, thick envelope and creating tonal colors the collecting cabinet, touch with red seals! The color has rev o 1 u ti on i zed the the abdomen with a needle, went from Uncle Juan's whole musical art. His and if the skin is dry and face as he lifted it up. orchest r al compositions immovable, the drying is "What's this? Why, it's speak a new and different completed. the. lost paper !" he gasped. language, and his piano In the cabinet the speciJust at that minute the pieces are unique. He wrote mens may be damaged by pendulum started again. It his songs in such a manner mice, ants or cockroaches, swung to and fro, and there as no other composer has or they may mould. The was a whirring sound. And ever equaled. Everything is filing cabinet should be then, in the half-darkness, vague, ethereal, without a kept dry and lnsect proof. the song of the clock began definite rl;ythm or melody. A little napthaline or a few once more: "I knew- I Such is the music of Claude moth balls may be placed I knew- I knew! " Debussy. in the cabinet.

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