Museums of Natural History 193 



material can be used) around the specimens so that they will 

 not damage one another during transit. 



Each pail filled with plaster weighs close to 40 pounds. I 

 usually pack four to a crate for shipment. During one expedi- 

 tion to South America, we had one boat sailing from Connecticut; 

 therefore, I simply trucked the pails uncrated to the dock and 

 loaded them on— fifty pails. 



Amount of Plaster per Fish. For a collecting expedition to 

 Alaska, I shipped sixteen pails of plaster packed in four crates. 

 This was enough to mold three big salmon ( 35 to 40 inches, up 

 to 52 pounds ) , two medium salmon ( 20 to 30 inches ) , two rain- 

 bows ( 30 inches each, two sheefish or inconnu ( 24 inches each ) , 

 one grayling, one northern pike, one dolly varden or Arctic char, 

 and one mackinaw or lake trout. A 45-inch or a 45-pound fish 

 will require approximately one 5-gallon pail of plaster per side, 

 or two pails for the fish. 



As a further example of amounts of plaster per type of fish, 

 the following specimens are some that I collected in the 

 Bahamas: 7J2-pound barracuda— 40 pounds plaster or one pail; 

 16 pound— Nassau grouper— 60 pounds plaster or one and a half 

 pails; 5-pound blackfin tuna— 40 pounds plaster or one pail; 36- 

 pound amberjack— 80 pounds of plaster or two pails. 



I have enumerated the above as a rough guide. If one knows 

 the type and number of fishes to be collected, the amount of 

 plaster to be used can be ascertained fairly well. Always take 

 a few extra cans. No. 1 Red Circle molding plaster comes in 

 100-pound bags. I have the bags sent to the museum labora- 

 tories where the plaster is transferred to the 5-gallon pails and 

 crated. Three 5-gallon pails will accommodate a 100-pound bag 

 of plaster with room to spare. 



Water Supply. Fresh water is necessary to mix the plaster. 

 When molding fresh water fishes, there is no problem. How- 

 ever, salt water expeditions require a makeshift laboratory on 

 the beach with a supply of fresh water handy ( another reason 

 for early arrival on the scene). This is the way I do it. Two 

 empty barrels or oil drums are secured and placed near the spot 



