506 JOURNAL, BOMBA Y NA TUBAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIX. 



In the first place storage in permanent drawer cabinets has not been 

 possible, because for one reason we would not be able to space out the 

 drawers in these cabinets beforehand to meet expansion since the Indian 

 fauna is so little known that we could not leave gaps for probable addi- 

 tions. We have, therefore, exclusively used store boxes, since they can be 

 moved about and expanded without requiring much moving of individual 

 pinned specimens. 



Owing to the climatic conditions, well-made English store boxes are impossi- 

 ble, the deal boxes warp, card-board boxes become ungummed. The climate 

 in the plains embraces the two extremes of dry heat and moist heat, it is diffi- 

 cult to realise this unless it is experienced. In April-May, we get scorching 

 winds, extremely dry with a temperature (in the shade) exceeding 110° F. 

 These are so dry and hot that all wood shrinks and cracks, deal especially. 

 Following this the humidity becomes intense, still with a temperature up to 

 and over 100° F., till with the rains a very high humidity sets in and persists. 

 Still muggy air, intense moisture and heat (a minimum in the laboratory of 85° 

 a maximum of 95° with a steady humidity of between 85 per cent, and 90 per 

 cent.), induces the opposite of the dry heat ; all wood swells again. No collec- 

 tion can be protected from the humidity unless in steel safes with Calcium 

 chloride to dry the air, and this entails the locking up of the collection during 

 the busy season, an impossibility if any useful work is to be done. One 

 has therefore to contend against extremes of dryness and moisture, with the 

 latter come moulds, lice (psocids), and beetles, and since all boxes warp, the 

 entry of these to the collection is inevitable. Moulds will grow on anything 

 during the still hot moist months, books, boots, curtains, paper, wool, doors, 

 leather, almost everything except metal grows moulds ; psocids of course 

 abound and only constant fumigation ot every room with hydrocyanic acid 

 could check them. Beetles are not so serious a danger. 



With regard to boxes, we use teak boxes 17 inches by 11 mches, all are oi 

 one size and are stored horizontally in racks. Cartons are useless as they 

 cannot be guaranteed against mould without a free use of corrosive sublimate 

 solution, which is good for neither the pins nor the health of the worker. Our 

 boxes were lined with cork or cork sheeting, papered inside and varnished 

 outside. Creosote, napthalin, benzene, carbolic acid, camphor, chloroform, 

 carbon bisulphide, have been used in the boxes, either in small vessels, or in a 

 cell, or mixed together and poured into the box, the final mixture adopted was 

 a saturated solution of napthalin in benzene containing 30 per cent, of white 

 beechwood creosote, poured into each box before use and at intervals, it keeps 

 out psocids, keeps down moulds, the theory is that the benzene clears the box 

 of everything at once, the naphthalin keeps out psocids and beetles, the 

 creosote checks moulds. When you have 2,500 boxes tightly packed in one 

 room and you put into each box half an ounce of benzene, etc., you run risk 

 of explosions and of injuring the health of any one who works there. We 

 have therefore tried to find a substitute. 



