238 



THE MUSEUM. 



LEAF-SHAJPED IMPLEMENTS. 



pint; borax, i ounce. There is noth- 

 ing better, however, than the mixture 

 of three parts of alcohol and one of 

 water. 



5. The extensive collections of the 

 United States Fish Commission are 

 usually packed in copper tanks, which 

 are tin-lined within. The h'd of the 

 tank is made to screw in the top and 

 its diameter is always as great as the 

 dimensions of the top will allow. The 

 tanks (called Agassiz tanks) are made 

 to contain 4, 8, or 16 gallons. Strong 

 chests, of a size large enough to ac- 

 commodate a i6-gallon tank, are used 

 for shipping; the hinges and hasps of 

 these chests are riveted on; handles 

 are screwed on at the sides, and each 

 chest is furnished with a strong lock. 

 The chest may contain one r6-gallon 

 tank or two of 8 gallons, or four of 4 

 gallons, or one of 8 gallons and two 

 of 4 gallons, as may best suit the con- 

 venience of the collector. When sev- 

 eral tanks make up the complement it 

 is usual to separate them by thin 

 wooden partitons. 



Cases made of ordinary tinned sheet- 

 iron are much more generally used 



than the expensive copper cans, and 

 they will answer well enough if the 

 jonts are perfectly tight and the top 

 is securely soldered on. 



Oak kegs, holding about 10 gallons 

 each and provided with iron hoops, 

 are capital containers for large fishes, 

 and they will stand the wear and tear 

 of railway travel better than most 

 other receptacles. 



Glass preserving-jars may be ship- 

 ped long distances with comparitive 

 safety, but they must be tested, by in- 

 verting them, to insure tightness; the 

 top of the jar and the rubber band 

 should be wiped dry; wrap the jars in 

 strong paper and pack them in some 

 material that will prevent breakage. 



When corked bottles are used, tie a 

 piece of bladder securely over the cork. 

 Where seals and sea -lions oecur, the 

 throat, as prepared by the Aleuts for 

 example, will be found an excellent 

 covering. It is necessary to wet the 

 membrane to make it pliable, ^^"hen- 

 ever jars, bottles, or any other small 

 containers are filled with fish which 

 are not provided with tin tags, write 

 plainly with a lead-pencil on heavy 



