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purpose of protecting small specimens, or small perforated tin 

 boxes would answer the same purpose. 



3rd. — Choosing and preparing the specimens. — Fish need not be 

 above 6 or 8 inches in length, unless of an eel-like shape, 

 when they should be twice that length ; care must be taken 

 to obtain them fresh ; a long slit should be made up their ab- 

 domeus, the intestines, except the air-bladder, removed, and 

 the abdominal cavity well washed out. If it is desired to 

 preserve the intestines, they should be carefully and gently 

 smeared over with a thin layer of arsenical paste. Shai'ks, 

 rays, and skates should never be less than 10 inches in length 

 excluding the tail, whilst larger ones should be skinned, care 

 being taken not to injure the jaws or the teeth. 



■ith. — The treatment of the specimen after it has been prepared. — 

 The first thing to be done to every specimen, whilst moving 

 about, is to attach a distinguishing mark to it. This may be 

 accomplished by appending a piece of tin having a number 

 scratched upon it, or a bit of parchment on which one has been 

 inscribed in indelible ink (or even in common dark ink if allowed 

 to thoroughly dry previous to being put in the spirit). The 

 locality where taken, and the native name when procurable, 

 should be invariably recorded. The specimens may now be 

 placed inside the first or soaking jar, or tin can full of spirit, 

 being careful that the fish should not fill up above half of the 

 receptacle in hot weather, or two-thirds in the cold season. 

 Here they may be left to soak for six or eight days, and then 

 be removed, washed, and placed in a second or intermediate jar 

 of clean spirit, from whence they may be finally removed after 

 ten days' soaking. Each must now (about 16 or 18 days after 

 capture, according to their size) be rolled up securely in rag, and 

 packed tightly in a case of fresh spirit. In rolling specimens 

 up in rag, no two should touch each other. Unless thus 

 secured, their fins will be destroyed when marching, their scales 

 rubbed off, and most probably they will be irretrievably ruined. 

 The spirit in the first and second jars can be used several times 

 over for the first process in fish-soaking; when it becomes 

 cloudy and dirty, it should be re-distilled. 



bth. — The specimens for which this process is unsuited are the larger 

 fish, as it is presumed the collector will not carry a cask of 

 spirits in order to secure them. Large sharks, rays, and skates 

 it is intended to keep, should be skinned and preserved by 

 means of arsenical soap, and well soaked in turpentine. The 

 mode of skinning fish is too well known to require detailing 

 here. 



FlNl s 



