HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSSIP. 



151 



than the primary one, that " man shall not live 

 by bread alone." And, further, I would not be 

 so egotistical as to conclude that man alone was 

 benefited by those things that minister to our en- 

 joyment. The psychological state of animals is 

 almost unknown to us : birds, liowever, appear to 

 enjoy the brilliance of the summer sun more than 

 its warmth; and we may reasonably conclude, that 

 as the lower animals partake, to a certain extent, 

 of the same nature as man, so they may also in 

 some degree partake of his enjoyments. The song 

 of birds has a value. It is not, however, a necessity 

 for the species, nor can it be classed along with 

 such things as the functions of the liver, any more 

 than can the gorgeous colours of a summer sunset, 

 or the rich tints of the rose. 

 Belfast. S. A. Stewaut. 



PRESERVATION OF SPECIMENS. 



IN one of your recent numbers I see that a cor- 

 respondent entertains some doubts as to the 

 efficacy of camphor as a preservative of insects and 

 other objects of natural history. I have long ceased 

 to have any faith in either camphor, turpentine, 

 naphtha, or any other atmospheric poisons as an an- 

 tidote against the ravages of the larva? of the clothes- 

 moth, or any of the numerous acari which attack 

 dead animal matter, and which make such fearful 

 havoc amongst our far-sought and highly-prized 

 treasures, whether insects or birds. I am quite of 

 opinion that they are mere quack nostrums, un- 

 availing in every sense for performing the duty to 

 which they are applied ; nor are the more potent 

 mineral poisons— arsenic, corrosive sublimate, &e. — 

 much more efficacious when applied to the indi- 

 vidual animal itself, whether as dry powder or 

 spirituous solution. I have frequently used the 

 solution of corrosive sublimate to the feet of birds, 

 to the bends of the wings, where there is a difficulty 

 of removing the entire of the muscular matter in 

 skinning, to the fur of quadrupeds, particularly about 

 the feet, and in every case without perfect success ; 

 for sooner or later the ravagers resumed their 

 labours, even where the mercurial salts in minute 

 crystals were visible, after the evaporation of the 

 spirit. The late Charles Waterton lays down cor- 

 rosive sublimate as a perfect panacea for all the evils 

 which surround museum specimens, but I feel 

 certain from actual experience that there is more 

 of poetry than fact in that talented naturalist's 

 doctrine, — a quality which more or less pervades 

 much that he has written. A fact came under my 

 notice only some few weeks ago going far to prove 

 the utter worthlessness of camphor as an atmo- 

 spheric poison. I had a few store boxes of insects — 

 coleoptera, orthoptera, and lepidoptera, — some of 

 which I had wandered for in the valleys and plains 



of Chili and Peru, and the forests of Central 

 America aud Mexico. They had kept exceedingly 

 well for a number of years, and about twelve months 

 ago I took them all out, cleaned the boxes, relined 

 them with fresh paper, and placed amongst them 

 any quantity of camphor ; my surprise may therefore 

 be imagined, when, on opening them about a month 

 ago, to find them utterly destroyed, the different 

 orders had all suffered alike, and were all in one 

 common ruin. The larvae of some (to me) unknown 

 moth, from three-quarters to an inch in length, were 

 pursuing their labours with a zeal highly praise- 

 worthy—had it been in a better cause. The soft 

 and edible portion of beetles was entirely consumed, 

 and corslets, elytra, heads and legs, were scattered 

 about, amongst the similar remains of crickets, 

 locusts, and mantes, &c, and the wings of butter- 

 flies drawn up into pupa-cases of the silken se- 

 cretion of the spoilers. They were labouring away 

 in active contact with pieces of camphor. Some 

 Cambcrwell Beauties I obtained in Northern Spain, 

 1 had taken the precaution to saturate with the 

 solution of corrosive sublimate ; they, however, had 

 shared the common fate. Eor many years I have 

 been annoyed in my collection by the depredations 

 of the grub of the common clothes-moth, but 

 these were exceedingly small, seldom more than a 

 quarter or three-eighths of an inch; but these 

 I have now to complain of are, as I said before, 

 when extended, nearly an inch. Can any of your col- 

 lecting correspondents give me an idea what they 

 are, or if they " bear a charmed life" ? 



In the same room where the unfortunate dupli- 

 cates were stored I have a rather extensive ento- 

 mological collection, which has remained intact 

 for many years; but these are in upright wall- 

 cases, and exposed to the light. The light I am of 

 opinion goes far as a check to the moth ravagers, 

 who, as a rule, prefer the dark for the prosecution 

 of their labours, as they are most commonly found 

 under the feet of birds, under their wings, and 

 other dark and obscure places. 



1 am, quite of opinion that extreme dryness is the 

 best antidote against decay in museum specimens, 

 as I fancy neither moth larvse, acari, vegetable 

 mould, or other destructive agents can act success- 

 fully in the absence of all moisture ; and were the 

 temperature in our collections never to be allowed 

 to fall below 70° Fahrenheit, no preparation of any 

 kind, either for poisoning the specimen, or the 

 atmosphere by which it is surrounded, would be 

 necessary ; dryness alone would present a sufficient 

 barrier to decay. I merely adduce this as an opinion ; 

 how far it will meet the confirmation or dissent of 

 your far more able correspondents, time may f best 

 show. In conclusion, one instance may add a little 

 weight to what I have asserted. When a boy, forty- 

 five years ago, I set up a barn owl, with the intes- 

 tines and viscera extracted, without any prepara- 



