EIGENMANN: the freshwater pishes of BRITISH GUIANA 59 



sorted, wrapped in cheesecloth and dropped into 85-95 per cent, alcohol. As soon 

 as sufficient material was at hand to fill a kerosene can or two, they were filled with 

 fishes i^acked tight as sardines and the can soldered. A small hole was then punched 

 and the can filled to the top with 95 per cent, alcohol, and again soldered. 



Two cans were usually packed in an original kerosene-can box and shipped at 

 once to New York. Some of the cans were punctured and the alcohol leaked out 

 on the way home. The fact that these also brought the fishes through in perfect 

 shape showed that ordinarily greater precautions were taken than necessary. 



Because some one who knew nothing of the Indians told me they would steal 

 the alcohol, I took only formahn beyond Tumatumari. I regretted it much, 

 because the precaution was not at all necessary and it would have been better to 

 have had all the scaled fishes preserved in the same manner. 



In wrapping the fishes for packing the usual precaution was taken. A locality 

 label was added to each little bundle and the fishes were so wrapped that a layer 

 of thin cheese-cloth was between every two. Care was always taken not to tie 

 the bundles too tightly, and minute delicate things were placed in a small vial after 

 being wrapped Smaller specimens after being wrapped were packed in empty 

 one-pound coffee-tins to keep them from being crushed in the larger kerosene 

 cans. 



Naked catfishes in general were preserved in formahn and transferred to 

 alcohol at home. They do not have metallic tints which are dissolved by the for- 

 malin, and retain their plumpness better than in alcohol. But the difficulty in 

 opening the jaws and the danger of damaging the fins probably fully dis- 

 counts for all the gain. 



Color notes upon the characins were preserved. It was not possible to do 

 more at the rate I was collecting. The difficulty with Prochilodus was mentioned 

 above. 



