BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 199 



yet without injuring any of the fins. A catalogue is to be kept by the 

 collector, in which the numbers corresponding with those ou the tags 

 must be entered, with notes as to place, time, and mode of capture, and 

 other particulars which will be more fully mentioned further on. Wrap 

 each fish separately in common coarse muslin (the coarser the better), 

 and tie the ends securely. Do not tie the string so tightly around the 

 body of the fish as to make furrows and wrinkles in the skin. If tin 

 tags are not at hand, a label written firmly on stout paper with a lead- 

 pencil should be wrapped inside of the covering of the fish. It is nec- 

 essary always to fill the receptacle in which specimens are packed — a 

 bottle or jar may be either filled with alcohol or the specimens may be 

 wrapped in muslin. It is not a good plan to put tow, excelsior, or cot- 

 ton-wool on top of fish, as it presses them close together and prevents 

 the free circulation of alcohol between them. For long journeys it is 

 desirable to secure better protection than the muslin wrapping alone 

 affords. This may be gained by placing beds of excelsior or thin wood 

 shavings between the layers of fish and at the bottom and top of the 

 case. 



A plainly- written card placed at the top of the box, so as to be seen 

 when the lid is removed, telling its contents and by whom it was sent, 

 will save much trouble when the collection is to be unpacked. 



7. ^otes of color, taken from the fresh specimens, should be sent with 

 them if the fish are to be described in the museum. The collector should 

 also preserve in his own books a record of life-colors under the catalogue 

 numbers corresponding with the tin tags fastened on his fish. He can 

 then obtain the identification of his species by their numbers and pub- 

 lish his studies upon them at his own pleasure. 



8. Local names of fish should always accompany the specimens when 

 obtainable. 



9. It is desirable to know whether or not the species is abundant ; 

 whether different sizes of the same fish are found ; whether they asso- 

 ciate iu schools or not ; whether they are permanent residents or migra- 

 tory ; if migratory, by what routes they come and go ; whether they 

 form an important article of food ; what they feed upon and what species 

 prey upon them ; the depth and character of the bottom on which they 

 occur ; the mode of capturing them ; the uses made of them and the 

 various products which they go to form, in short, everything bearing 

 upon the life history or the economic applications of the species should 

 be noted in detail. 



10. Before washing the fish look them over for external parasites ; 

 examine the gills and the inside of the month carefully, as these are fa- 

 vorite situations. These parasites often furnish a clew to the migrations 

 of the fish ; remove them if they can be taken off entire, if not, let them 

 remain, and call attention to their presence in your shipping notes. 

 Preserve the parasites in vials or bottles, and provide them with labels 

 stating from what fish they came and in what situation they were found. 



