and Laboratory Methods. 1959 



The cards should be of uniform size for convenience in handling. If it is 

 desired to have a card for every entry, they can be smaller than where it is 

 desirable for economy of space to have as many entries as possible on one card. 

 In the latter case a convenient size is that of the ordinary library card, which 

 can be ruled to hold twenty entries. The following is a form of such a card : 



The name of the species is written on the top, and the number of each entry 

 of that species and the locality is entered below. Such a card as this enables 

 the collector to see at a glance not only whether any given species is represented 

 in his collection, but also from what localities, and saves a large amount of time 

 which would otherwise be spent ia turning over the leaves of a serial catalogue. 



The cards can be kept in drawers or boxes of proper size and can be ar- 

 ranged alphabetically under the different genera and families. Guide cards 

 slightly higher than the ordinary card, indicating the genera, can be inserted in 

 their proper places. 



In collections intended for public exhibition, it is usually necessary to have 

 the specimens mounted on cards or blocks. But in private collections such an 

 arrangement is a mistake. Not only on account of the greater room required 

 for the collection, but particularly because it prevents the handling of the 

 specimens for purposes of study. 



Specimens under an inch in diameter are most conveniently kept in glass 

 vials. These can be obtained from any wholesale druggist. They should be 

 without a neck and of standard sizes. The length will depend upon the standard 

 size of the tray adopted. For my own collection I use four sizes, }(, }4, s/s, 

 and Ji inches in diameter. As these vials are rather fragile, the pressure of the 

 cork is apt to break them. The cork should therefore be softened by rolling or 

 crushing. A pair of plumber's burner-plyers is useful for this purpose. The 



