and Laboratory Methods. 2365 



Directions in Regard to Shipping Reptiles and Amphibians. 



Wherever possible, these animals should be sent alive. If small, they may 

 be placed in a box with moist paper, leaves, moss, cotton-batten, or any similar 

 substance that will keep them from shaking around ; send by mail. They require 

 little air, and unless the package is hermetically sealed (which it should not be) 

 they will live thus for some time. Larger specimens must be sent by express, 

 and such cases should always be preceded by a letter ; even a rough description 

 will oftentimes make it unnecessary to send the specimen. If the animals are 

 dead, the only thing to do is to make a slit in the ventral side, deep enough to 

 open the body-cavity, and put them in alcohol or formalin (4 per cent, solution). 

 In exceptional cases, when neither alcohol nor formalin is available, they maybe 

 injected with a solution of carbolic acid, put into a small box as air tight as pos- 

 sible, and sent by mail at once. Specimens in liquids can be sent by mail if in 

 approved packages, but will usually have to be sent by express. In all cases 

 name and address of sender should be on the outside of the package. 

 Olivet College. HUBERT LvMAN ClarK. 



Hints on Collecting Land and Fresh-Water Mollusca.^ 



COLLECTING APPARATUS. 



For land shells, a " Ferriss " hoe is very useful. This is made by getting 

 a small, light-handled garden hoe and having the blade cut down at a machine 

 shop. It should be about three inches wide on top and taper to a sharp point. 

 Then cut off the handle so that it will be as long as a cane. This makes a most 

 convenient tool for turning over logs and breaking up rotten wood and digging 

 around stumps and among the dead leaves. A pair of fine curved-pointed col- 

 lecting forceps is also necessary for picking up the small species. Small glass 

 bottles should be carried, as the small species are apt to get lost in the dirt and 

 slime, if put into the same receptacle as the larger ones. It is better not to put 

 the small species in alcohol as they are collected, as they are then killed at once 

 with the animal more or less extended. If put in a dry bottle and left a few 

 hours they will withdraw into their shells, leaving the aperture clear and fit for 

 examination. This is especially necessary with the Pupidcc, where the arrange- 

 ment of the apertural teeth is a specific characteristic. 



For the larger species tin cases of a convenient size to slip readily into the 

 coat pockets are most convenient. Several boxes and a number of vials should 

 always be carried, so that specimens from different localities may be kept sep- 

 arate. 



For the fluviatile species it is necessary to have a dipper. This is made 

 from an ordinary tin one, by removing the bottom and substituting one of fine 

 wire cloth. By removing the end of the handle, the dipper can be slipped on 



1 Abstract from article which appeared in Jour. App. Micro, and Lab. Meth., page 1954. 



