dragon flies, May flies, Ac.), Lepidoptera
(butterflies and moths), Coleoptera (beetles), and Hymenoptera (bees,
wasps, and Ichneumon-flies, etc.), the Lepidoptera and Coleoptera will
find most favour in his eyes, owing to their brilliancy of colouring,
variety of shape and size, and easiness of manipulation.

It must be remembered, however, that insects should be collected with
a definite purpose by the taxidermist, and not merely for pastime, or
he will degenerate into that most Odious of all created beings--a
collector for the sake of collecting, or what used to be called an
"exterminator." Indeed, I have known of a case in which over 1600 of
the males of a certain species were caught in one day, "assembled" by
the attractions of seven or eight females. These figures seem
incredible, but for the fact that I myself saw part of the spoil
displayed on a 12 ft. board.

Need I say that such slaughter as this is far beyond the bounds of
fair collecting, and that such courses, persevered in, give the odious
title of "exterminators" to all those who practise it. In this
particular instance the moths were made up into "pictures," which,
though ornamental perhaps for a workman's home, hardly justify the
slaughter of any but the very commonest or harmful species.

The tortoiseshell, peacock, and admiral butterflies are often bred in
hundreds for the purpose of making a "picture" of a snake strangling a
tiger, or a crown, or the wings are cut by punches to form the petals
of flowers, to be afterwards grouped under shades. All these things,
though very curious, and really striking if well done, are steps in
the wrong direction, and on a par with the use of humming and other
birds for ladies' hats--all of which adaptations of natural history
objects to commerce inexpressibly "worry" anyone with the slightest
taste or feeling.

If a really beautiful object is wanted, in order to show a group of
exotic or other insects as specimens, out of a cabinet, you may mount
them in as natural a manner as possible on grasses or fine twigs, made
as directed, setting them off with a few foreign ferns, and inclosing
the whole in a "mount," to hang up, or in a narrow oval shade with
carved oak or other stand; or they may be scientifically and
artistically mounted, to show the life-history of any one species, by
arranging the larvae feeding on a properly modelled representation of
its natural food-plant, the imagines, male and female, with some