THE PBESERVATION OF MAEINE OBJECTS 79 



We will now pass on to consider those objects of the shore that 

 are usually preserved in a dry condition, commencing with 



STARFISHES AND SEA URCHINS 



Starfishes are commonly preserved by simply allowing them to 

 dry in an airy place, with or without direct exposure to the sun's rays, 

 and this method is fairly satisfactory when the drying proceeds 

 rapidly ; but care should be taken to maintain the natural roughness 

 of the exterior as well as to have the numerous suckers of the under 

 surface as prominent as possible. If the starfish is simply laid out 

 on some surface to dry, the side on which it rests is often more 

 or less flattened by the weight of the specimen itself, which there- 

 fore becomes adapted for the future examination of one surface only ; 

 but a better result, as regards both the rapidity of drying and the 

 after appearance of the specimen, may be obtained by suspending it 

 on a piece of fine net or by threads. A still better plan is to put 

 the dead starfish into strong spirit, which will rapidly extract the 

 greater part of the moisture that its body contained. After allowing 

 it to remain in this for a day or two to harden it, put it oat to dry 

 as before mentioned. The spirit, being very volatile, will soon 

 evaporate, so that the specimen will shortly be ready for storing 

 away. 



It is most important to observe that dried specimens not star- 

 fishes only, but all animal and vegetable objects should never be 

 placed in the cabinet or other store-case until perfectly dry, for a 

 very small amount of moisture left in them will often encourage the 

 development of moulds, not only on themselves, but on other speci- 

 mens stored with them. 



Very small and delicate starfishes, when preserved in a dry con- 

 dition, may be protected from injury by fastening them on a card 

 by means of a little gum, or by keeping them permanently stored 

 on cotton wool in glass-topped boxes. 



Sea urchins, or sea eggs, as they are commonly called, may be 

 preserved exactly in the same way as starfishes, though it is more 

 essential in the case of these to soak them in strong spirit previous 

 to drying, otherwise the soft animal matter within the shell will 

 decompose before the drying is complete. Here, however, it is 

 possible to remove the whole interior with the aid of a piece of 

 bent wire, and to thoroughly clean the inner surface of the shell 

 before drying it. 



