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THE SEA SHORE 



even if they are of the best quality procurable, it will be necessary 

 to look over the specimens occasionally to see if the preserving fluid 

 has disappeared to any extent either by leakage or evaporation ; for 

 such loss is always liable to occur, although it may be very slow, 

 and especially when methylated spirit is the liquid employed. 



The writer has preserved many hundreds of small marine and 

 other objects in glass tubes of dilute spirit that have been hermeti- 

 cally sealed, thus rendering the slightest loss absolutely impossible, 

 while the perfect exclusion of air prevents the development of 

 fungoid growths that sometimes make their appearance in imper- 

 fectly preserved specimens. The making and closing of such tubes, 



FIG. 40. JARS FOB PRESERVING ANATOMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS 



though a more or less difficult operation at first to those who have 

 had no previous experience in glass- working, become exceedingly 

 simple after a little practice ; and believing it probable that many 

 of our readers would like to try their hand at this most perfect 

 method of preserving and protecting small objects, we will give a 

 description of the manner in which it is done. 



The apparatus and materials required for this work are : 

 Lengths of ' soft ' glass tubing, varying from about one quarter to a 

 little over half an inch in internal diameter; a supply of diluted 

 spirit about half spirit and half water ; a Herapath blowpipe, 

 preferably with foot-bellows ; and a small triangular file. 



