The Butterflies and Moths of Teneriffe

by A. E. Holt White

Many species are found inland, while some are peculiar to the coast. The heights and localites in which all the different kinds are found have been indicated as far as possible in the description of the various species.

KILLING AND SETTING BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS, RELAXING-SPECIMENS, Etc.

Butterflies, when netted, can be easily killed by a prolonged sharp pinch under the thorax before being taken from the net, and do not need to be put into a poison-box. The pinch should be given between the finger and thumb, the wings of the insect being kept in an upright position.

Moths must be put into a poison-bottle or box, and left there from twelve to twenty-four hours. Some varieties die much quicker than others. Various kinds of poison are used for the boxes and bottles, but cyanide of potassium seems most generally approved of by entomologists. To catch moths, many people use the sugaring process. A mixture, made of beer, rum, and coarse sugar or treacle, boiled till it becomes thick like treacle is placed at night on the trunks of trees or on flowers, and a lamp is placed near the sugared plants. True votaries of “sweetness and light,” the moths alight on the sticky mixture, and, becoming stupefied with the beer and rum, as a rule fall to the ground, where they can easily be caught or netted.

Setting-boards are made of strips of wood about one foot or eighteen inches in length, varying in width according to the size of the specimen one wishes to pin out on it. These boards are covered with sheet cork, having a groove down the middle to receive the body of the insect. Some boards have a flat, others a slightly curved surface, and these are covered with white paper. English entomologists generally use curved boards, but foreign collectors prefer the flat setting-boards. These latter seem somewhat preferable.

The good appearance and value of a collection greatly depend on the setting, and for this reason much care and patience is required. The butterfly should be taken between the thumb and finger of the left hand, and an insect-pin inserted in the middle of the thorax, bringing the point slightly sloping backwards and out at the legs. Then having selected a board suitable in size to the specimen, it should be pinned exactly in the middle of the groove, the body being kept quite straight. Two narrow strips of paper, not more than ⅛th of an inch in width, are now required to fasten down the two wings on each side of the groove. Let each strip be pinned in front of the two fore-wings, holding the end of a strip in the left hand; then very gently place the wings, first the fore and then the hind-wing, in position, bringing them forward with a long pin (the point being placed on the wings as near the body as possible) in the right hand. At the same time the strip of paper which is being held in the left hand is gently lowered and fastened with a pin immediately below the hind-wing. Great care must be taken not to injure the plumage by touching it. A second strip of paper is now necessary on each side to pin down the outer edges of the wings; but the first two strips are the most important ones, as they keep the wings in position, and the latter may be very easily added. The antennæ should be straightened and placed under the first two strips of paper, or placed in position by two pins. The paper is fastened along the boards, fixing as many specimens as its length will permit.

Many persons use triangular pieces of card as braces for the butterfly, fixing one or more on each wing, but the strips of paper seem somewhat easier to arrange, and damage the plumage even less than the card, though when either method is adopted the specimen ought not to be damaged in the least. In making a perfect collection of butterflies three specimens should be set up of every variety; the male, the female, and one set with the underside uppermost. It is not usual to set moths the reverse way.

Butterflies must be left on the board to stiffen for ten days or a fortnight; after that they can be removed to the store-box. Moths with large bodies take longer in drying, and must be left for three or four weeks. By touching the end of the body of a specimen gently with a pin it can easily be seen whether it is firm and stiff enough to be removed to the case. If butterflies and moths are not set soon after death they become stiff, and would be useless; but there are several modes of relaxing them, and it may be useful to give a description of the process which is generally adopted. Procure a marmalade-pot or earthenware jar, into which put three inches of sand; pour on the sand enough water to wet it thoroughly, without allowing the water to appear on the surface. It is as well to put a small quantity of carbolic acid with it. The insects to be relaxed should be pinned on to a thick piece of cork, the cork resting on the top of the sand. Close the mouth of the jar with a piece of glass, or something which will make it air-tight. A few hours is often enough to relax specimens, but if left longer they must be carefully watched, as they very soon become mouldy. To keep the insects free from mites, napthaline must be freely used in the store-boxes and cases. Camphor is used by some persons, but napthaline is a far more efficacious preventive of the ravages of parasites.

In packing specimens already set for England, store-boxes will hold a great number if the specimens are judiciously placed one over the other in a sloping manner, great care being taken that they do not touch each other, as the slightest rubbing spoils the plumage.