Spreading Board for Moths and Butterflies
Moths and butterflies should have their wings spread before being put into the collection. To do this well, it is necessary to have spreading boards that are accurately made but that are not necessarily complicated or expensive.
Construction.—A convenient board for medium-sized insects can be made at home of the following materials:
1.—A hardwood base, 4 × 12 × ¼ inch. 2.—Two hardwood end pieces, 4 × ¾ × ½ inch. 3.—Two softwood top pieces, 1⅞ × 12 × ½ inch, with the top surface planed at an angle, so that the thickness at one edge is ½ inch and at the other ⅜ inch. 4.—Two flat cork pieces 1 × 11 × ³/₁₆ inch.
Nail the top pieces to the ends so that the slanting surfaces of the tops are uppermost and the narrower edges parallel and one-quarter inch apart, [fig. 16]. Glue one strip of cork beneath the top pieces, covering the opening between and fitting snugly at each end. Glue the other cork piece flat to the upper side of the base, lengthwise along the middle, and extending to within one-half inch of each end. Finally, nail the base across the bottoms of the end pieces, so that the two corks face each other.
Use.—Before spreading the specimen, relax it as described under [“Relaxing Boxes and Jars.”] Then pin it, keeping in mind [fig. 12] and the directions given under [“Preservation by Pinning.”] Thrust the pin, with the insect on it, through the upper cork of the board and into the cork on the base. Insert the insect body in the groove so that the wing bases are level with the near edge of each top piece. Hold the wings at the top level by two narrow strips of paper and pull them forward until the hind margin of the front wing is at right angles to the body axis, and the front margin of the hind wing is just under the front wing, [fig. 16]. Pin the wings temporarily in this position by inserting a pin, size 0 or 00, near the front margin at the base of each wing. When the wings on both sides of the insect are thus adjusted, lay strong pieces of paper over them and pin them down securely with large pins inserted close to the wings but not through them. Here you may use large common pins, but still better are the large-headed dressmaker’s pins about 1¼ inches long. Finally, remove the original adjusting pins and put the specimen in a dry, pest-proof container for 2 or 3 weeks. It will then have set sufficiently to be removed from the board.
Fig. 16.—Spreading board for moths and butterflies. The insect is pinned with its body in the groove and, temporarily, with all its wings drawn forward and pinned as shown for the right wings. Then all wings are pinned as shown for the left wings, and the insect is allowed to dry. The inset shows a view of spreading board construction. The top pieces of the board must be smooth and of soft wood. First grade pine is satisfactory.
For good results, spreading boards with grooves of various widths are necessary; a specimen should be spread on a board with a groove that fits the body. The width of the top pieces should vary to accommodate different wingspreads. The slope of the top pieces should be about as described.