484 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



Working Up. 



The "washings" brought home, or to camp, should be looked over 

 as soon as convenient, especially in hot weather, and spread out for 

 preliminary drying, preferably on a sheet of muslin. Larger Sphceria 

 and Musculia may be picked out at once, cleaned if necessary, and 

 put into alcohol diluted with from 75 to 60 per cent, of water for a 

 day or two. After that guch as are wanted for future examination 

 of the soft parts are put in somewhat stronger alcohol. The others 

 can be easily dried, while with fresh ones there is danger of putre- 

 faction. Using alcohol is preferable to scalding in hot water, then 

 removing the soft parts and closing the shells with mucilage or glue. 

 Even drying without alcohol is better if there is a chance for doing so. 

 Larger snails wanted for anatomical examination are also put in 

 alcohol or some other preserving fluid; the others may be treated in 

 the usual way, by scalding and extracting the soft parts, which again 

 may be preserved by themselves, in which case they require exact 

 labeling. The opercula of operculate snails, such as ViviparidcB, etc., 

 should be kept either with their soft parts or the shells, but not glued 

 into the apertures. 



When the washings are somewhat dry, so that they can be crumbled 

 up, the specimens may be picked out and then put to final drying. 

 It is difficult or impossible to find the smallest mussels and snails in 

 damp clogging debris, and takes much more time. Generally it is 

 preferable to dry the washings thoroughly, and then they may be 

 kept for being worked up at some convenient time, but never without 

 the label indicating the place and date at which the material was taken- 

 Larger Sphaeriidae and snails, if not treated with alcohol, require a day 

 or two to become quite dry, in moderate heat; too great heat will 

 brown them and crack the shells of Ahisculium. 



After a season's collecting, or even after an extended trip, there 

 may be a large number of lots of washings, siftings, drift, etc., on hand, 

 and it is desirable to have on each parcel a conspicuous outside label 

 denoting its origin. 



If there is a good portion of washings, or drift, a sieve is a great 

 help for separating finer from coarser material, and two, of different 

 meshes, may be preferable. If not provided with sieves, shaking to 

 and fro on a piece of paper or cardboard is the next best method of 

 treatment. Material may be spread on a table and the specimens 



