288 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Art. XXVI. — On Formol for Preservation of Natural History 



Specimens. 



By S. H. Drew, Curator of the Public Museum, Wanganui. 

 [Read before the Wellitigton Philosophical Society, 22nd July, 1896.] 



I FIND that some of ray natural history friends are unacquainted 

 with formol, and, as I have had several letters asking about 

 my way of using this drug, it has been suggested that possibly 

 a few short notes might be useful to others. 



In October and November last, Mr. Charles Smith, of Te 

 Korito, Wanganui Eiver, and myself made a trip to New 

 South Wales, principally to obtain skeletons and fishes for the 

 Public Museum, Wanganui. Our object was to get as many 

 of the more interesting specimens as we could in the short 

 time available. We wanted to spend as much time as possible 

 in the field, and as little time as possible preparing specimens 

 afterwards. We wanted something that would preserve our 

 specimens after they had been roughly and quickly cleaned, 

 and at the same time we were anxious not to be hampered 

 with heavy and cumbersome impedimenta. Alcohol meant 

 all this, as well as another big item to us — expense. I had 

 heard and read of formol as a very strong antiseptic, so 

 we determined to risk it. Formol was not procurable in New 

 Zealand, but we found it kept in stock by Elliott Brothers, 

 Sydney, the cost being £1 10s. per gallon. We were told that 

 it would be unsafe to put formol in tin vessels, but, using 

 it in such weak solutions, we risked that also ; and I must 

 say here that our specimens, when we reached home, turned 

 out all we could wish. Our first halt was made amongst 

 the "lobster-pot" men at Port Stephens. Kerosene-tins are 

 to be had everywhere in the colonies, so we decided to trust 

 to getting these useful vessels. There ^vere only about a 

 dozen fishermen in this little hamlet, yet we found plenty 

 of tins. We had divided our formol in quarter-gallon tins 

 for convenience, and packed one in each portmanteau. This 

 was all that was required, except the few tools wanted. I 

 never travelled so lightly on a collecting-trip before. I care- 

 fully cut an oval hole in the top or lid of the tin, so as to 

 get the widest hole for large fishes. Then we half filled 

 the tin with a 5-per-cent. solution of formol. The fishes are 

 roughly skinned — that is, we left much of the flesh in the fins 

 and head, &c. — and, giving the skin a rub inside with arsenical 

 soap, rolled it carefully up and wrapped it in a piece of 



