82 



THE SEA SHORE 



certainly as good as any. It holds well, and leaves no visible stain 

 on a white card. A small quantity of the solid gum should be put 

 into a bottle with water in which a grain or so of corrosive sublimate 

 has been dissolved. It absorbs much water, becoming a very soft, 

 jelly-like mass. Any excess of water may be poured off, and the 

 gum is then ready for use. 



The larger crabs and lobsters contain such an amount of soft 

 tissue within that it becomes absolutely necessary to clear them in 



order to avoid the unpleasant and 

 destructive effects of decomposi- 

 tion. 



In the case of lobsters the ab- 

 domen should be removed from 

 the large cephalo-thorax by cutting 

 through the connecting membrane 

 with a sharp knife. The soft por- 

 tions of both halves of the body 

 are then raked out by means of a 

 piece of wire flattened and bent at 

 one end, and the interior cleaned 

 with the aid of a rather stiff bottle- 

 brush. The large claws are then 

 removed by cutting through the 

 membrane that unites them with 

 the legs, and these are cleared in 

 a similar manner. The different 

 parts are next laid out to dry on 

 blotting-paper, with the various 



appendages attached to the body arranged just as in life; and, 

 finally, when all parts are quite dry, both within and without, the 

 separated parts are reattached by means of some kind of cement. 

 For this purpose a solution of gelatine in acetic acid is much 

 better than gum tragacanth, as it has a far greater holding power, 

 and this is necessary when we require to unite rather large struc- 

 tures with but small surfaces in contact. 



Large crabs are to be dealt with much in the same manner, 

 but, instead of removing the abdomen only, which, in the crab, is 

 usually very small and doubled under the thorax, the whole 

 carapace the large shell that covers the entire upper surface of 

 the body should be lifted off, and replaced again after the speci- 

 men has been cleaned and dried. 



Fio. 43. SMALL CRAB MOUNTED 

 ON A CARD 



