The paper on which this label is written should be slipped upon the pin with which the butterfly is pinned and placed just below the insect. Labels should be as small as possible and be neatly cut.
Insect Boxes.
Fig. 131. A convenient box for the use of the young collector.
Fig. 132. Insect box made of wood, with glass top.
Fig. 133. A cross-section of the side of insect box [Fig. 132], showing method of construction and giving measurements.
For the beginner nothing is more convenient than an empty cigar box, which may be obtained at any store where cigars are sold. ([Fig. 131].) The bottom of the box should be covered with some soft, firm material into which pins may be pushed without bending them. There are many such materials. Sheet cork or pressed peat may be obtained of dealers in entomological supplies. Some ingenious boys use regular bottle corks, cut into cross sections about 1/4 inch thick. Others take the pith of dried corn-stalks divided in half lengthwise. The cheapest and most easily procurable of the purchasable materials is cork linoleum. This is for sale in most carpet stores. Get the quality that is about 1/4 inch thick, which costs about $1 per yard; put it into the box cork-side up. Any of these materials can be fastened to the bottom of the box with glue or with tacks. In all cases they should be covered neatly with white paper, for the insects appear better against a white background.
For permanent collections, wooden boxes with glass tops are much safer; and as the insects may be seen through the glass these boxes are more practical for school collections. This kind of a box is shown in [Fig. 132]. Its sides are 18 by 16 inches and its height is three inches outside measure. The upper edge of the sides of the bottom part of the box is made with a tongue which fits into a groove made in the lower edge of the sides of the cover. This is done so that the top and bottom parts of the box shall fit very closely together in order that museum pests cannot get in and destroy the specimens.