198 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



expected to accommodate more than half its own bulk of fish, and even 

 this proportion will require watchfulness to avoid loss. If a collection 

 freshly caught is to be shipped to a distant museum or private collec- 

 tion, observe the directions about cleansing the fish and preserving the 

 viscera separately if needful, and then use nothing weaker than a mixt- 

 ure containing three parts of 95 percent, alcohol and one part of water. 

 A good mixture which will carry fish in very nice condition is the 

 following: 95 per cent, (or absolute) alcohol, 3 quarts; water, 1 quart; 

 glycerine, 1 pint; borax, 1 ounce. There is nothing better, however, 

 than the mixture of three parts of alcohol and one of water. 



5. The extensive collections of the United States Fish Commission 

 are usually packed in copper tanks, which are tin-lined within. The 

 lid of the tank is made to screw in the top, and its diameter is always 

 as great as the dimensions of the top will allow. The tanks (called 

 Agassiz tanks) are made to contain 4, 8, or 1C gallons. Strong chests, 

 of a size large enough to accommodate a 16-gallon tank, are used for 

 shipping; the hinges and hasps of these chests are riveted on ; handles 

 are screwed on at the sides, and each chest is furnished with a strong 

 lock. The chest may contain one lG-gallon tank, or two of 8 gallons, or 

 four of 4 gallons, or one of 8 gallons and twd of 4 gallons, as may best 

 suit the convenience of the collector. When several tanks make up the 

 complement it is usual to separate them by thin wooden partitions. 



Cases made of ordinary tinned sheet-iron are much more generally 

 used than the expensive copper cans, and they will answer well enougb 

 if the joints are perfectly tight and the top is securely soldered on. 



Oak kegs, holding about 10 gallons each and provided with iron hoops, 

 arc capital containers for large fishes, and they will stand the wear and 

 tear of railway travel better than most other receptacles. 



Glass preserving-jars may be shipped long distances with comparative 

 safety, but they must be tested, by inverting them, to insure tightness; 

 the top of the jar and the rubber band should be wiped dry ; wrap the 

 jars in strong paper and pack them in some material that will prevent 

 breakage. 



AY hen corked bottles are used, tie a piece of bladder securely over the 

 cork. Where seals and sea-lions occur, the throat, as prepared by the 

 Aleuts for example, will be found an excellent covering. It is necessary 

 to wet the membrane to make it pliable. Whenever jars, bottles, or 

 any other small containers are filled with fish which are not provided 

 with tin tags, write plainly with a lead-pencil on heavy manila or writ- 

 ing paper the name of the place where the fish were taken, the date of 

 capture, and the name of the collector. Put a label of this kind inside 

 of each bottle ; it will remain legible for years. 



(i. Each specimen should be provided with a numbered tin tag, which 

 is to be fastened, whenever possible, by means of a string passed through 

 the right gill-opening and out at the mouth. When the string must be 

 tied around the body or tail of the fish it should be fixed securely and 



