27 



vessels referred to on pages 9 and 13, and also in the tin pre- 

 serving cans. In the absence of tow or rags, chopped straw, fine 

 shavings, or dry grass may be substituted. 



It will conduce greatly to the perfect preservation of the speci- 

 mens, during transportation, if each one is wrapped up in cotton 

 cloth, or even paper. A number of smaller specimens may be 

 rolled successively in the same wrapper. In this way, friction, and 

 the consequent destruction of scales, fins, &c., will be prevented 

 almost entirely. The travelling bags described on p. 13 will answer 

 the same purpose. 



Should the specimens to be packed vary in size, the largest 

 should be placed at the bottom. If the disproportion be very 

 great, the delicate objects at the top must be separated from those 

 below by means of some immovable partition, which, in the event 

 of the vessel being inverted, will prevent crushing. The most im- 

 perative rule, however, in packing, is to have the vessel perfectly 

 full, any vacancy exposing the whole to the risk of loss. 



It is sometimes necessary to guard against the theft of the spirit 

 employed by individuals who will not be deterred from drinking it 

 by the presence of reptiles, &c. This may be done by adding a 

 small quantity of tartar emetic, ipecacuanha, quassia, or some other 

 disagreeable substance. The addition of a little arsenic will add 

 to the preservative power of the spirit. A small quantity of soap 

 is said to have a remarkable effect in preserving the color ; a little 

 saltpetre appears to have also the same effect. 



2. VERTEBRATES. 



Mammals and birds should always have an incision made in the 

 abdomen to admit the spirit. In the former the skin on each side 

 of the cut should also be raised or separated from its attachment 

 to the subjacent walls, to prevent the hair from coming off. Where 

 several specimens of a kind are preserved it will be well to remove 

 the intestines entirely from some of them, to insure their sound 

 preservation. 



Fishes over five or six inches in length should also have the 

 abdominal incision. Specimens with the scales and fins perfect 

 should be selected, and, if convenient, stitched, pinned, or wrapped 

 in bits of muslin, &c., to preserve the scales; placing them in the 

 lino bags will answer the latter object. In general, fishes under 



