There could be no better species to begin with than the caterpillar of the Large Garden White butterfly; get one as nearly full-grown as possible, lay it out on the blotting-pad before you, place the lead pencil across it gently, but firmly, just behind the head, and roll it towards the tail. This kills the larva instantly, and empties out its internal organs by the anal orifice. Roll your pencil over it again to make sure the skin is thoroughly clean inside; then insert your blowpipe into the anal orifice, letting the spring down on the last segment so as to hold the skin on; apply your mouth to the other end of the blowpipe, blow the skin out gently, and insert in the hot-air oven. Keep blowing gently for a few seconds; watch progress; touch the skin with your finger to see if it is getting hard and dry. Don’t blow too hard and make it look like a bursting sausage; try to keep it as natural in appearance as possible. In a few minutes it will be quite hard and dry; when dry, raise the spring, and a slight touch with the thumb-nail will liberate it from the blowpipe. The skin is now ready for mounting on silk-covered wire or a thin dry twig with a little entomological gum or seccotine. Our specimen is now ready to take its place in the collection.

We now have to face the problem of storing the collection. It is probably beyond the means of a young collector to purchase a cabinet with drawers, costing ten shillings per drawer, and he will be well advised to keep his specimens in store-boxes which he may be able to make for himself. I made some very serviceable ones with scented soap-boxes got from our grocer. Any size will do, but it is best to have your boxes all of one size if possible, say 10 inches by 14 inches by 4 inches. Get a few light deal boxes about these dimensions, nail on the lids, paper them all over the outside with good stout brown packing-paper having a glossy surface; paste it on with thin glue; set aside a day or two to dry. When dry, take a sharp saw and cut the boxes round the sides and ends, so that each box is divided into two equal traylike halves. Glue a stout cardboard shell round the inside of one half, and attach the other half by two small brass hinges. The cardboard shell rises above the sides of the tray, and when the other half of the box is folded over it “stays put,” as the Yankee says; and, in addition, you have a fairly air-tight construction. These store-boxes fold after the manner of a book-form chess or draught board. Each half requires to be lined on the inside with sheet cork, which you can get from dealers in entomologists’ sundries, and finally covered with thin white paper. Such a store-box costs less than one and sixpence. Keep two or three boxes for duplicate specimens, and as many for your permanent collection. By-and-by you will want glass-topped cases, but by the time you have arrived at that stage you should have gained sufficient experience to enable you to know where to buy them.

See that every specimen before being transferred to your permanent collection bears with it a small label setting forth the date and place of capture, thus:

Epping,
9/6/11.
J. Roberts.

Abbey Wood, Herts,
7/9/11.
Robertson.

Keep these tickets as inconspicuous as possible and with the writing or printing in such a position as to be easily read without requiring to remove the insect.

The following list of British butterflies is thoroughly modern, and in labelling your specimens you should adopt its nomenclature, and also follow the order given in arranging your collection. Both Latin and English names are included, but if you wish to be a thorough entomologist you should accustom yourself to use the scientific names. The Latin name is the same everywhere “from China to Peru.” If you use an English name of a butterfly in writing to a foreign collector he will probably fail to recognize the species referred to, but if you give the scientific name he will know it at once.

LIST OF BRITISH BUTTERFLIES

ARRANGED IN THEIR FAMILIES AND GENERA, WITH
THEIR SCIENTIFIC AND POPULAR NAMES.

  1. Family: PAPILIONIDÆ.
  2. [Papilio machaon.]
  3. [SWALLOW-TAIL.]
  4. Family: PIERIDÆ.
  5. [Aporia cratægi.]
  6. [BLACK-VEINED WHITE.]
  7. [Pieris brassicæ.]
  8. [LARGE WHITE.]
  9. [Pieris rapæ.]
  10. [SMALL WHITE.]
  11. [Pieris napi.]
  12. [GREEN-VEINED WHITE.]
  13. [Pieris daplidice.]
  14. [BATH WHITE.]
  15. [Euchloë cardamines.]
  16. [ORANGE-TIP.]
  17. [Leucophasia sinapis.]
  18. [WOOD WHITE.]
  19. [Colias hyale.]
  20. [PALE CLOUDED YELLOW.]
  21. [Colias edusa.]
  22. [CLOUDED YELLOW.]
  23. [Gonepteryx rhamni.]
  24. [BRIMSTONE.]
  25. Family: NYMPHALIDÆ.
  26. [Argynnis selene.]
  27. [SMALL PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY.]
  28. [Argynnis euphrosyne.]
  29. [PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY.]
  30. [Argynnis lathonia.]
  31. [QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY.]
  32. [Argynnis aglaia.]
  33. [DARK GREEN FRITILLARY.]
  34. [Argynnis adippe.]
  35. [HIGH BROWN FRITILLARY.]