78 Mr. Edward Lovett. 
17.—ON PREPARING AND MounrTING FOR EXHIBITION CRUsS- 
TACEA AND SIMILAR OBJECTS. 
By Epwarp Lovett. 
[Read December 15th, 1880.]| 
Mr. E. Lovett commenced his paper by remarking how few 
persons had written upon British stalk-eyed crustacea, a fact 
due, no doubt, partly to the limited area, and partly to the 
difficulty of obtaining specimens, fishermen generally discard- 
ing from their nets everything which was not edible, whilst 
amateur collectors had few opportunities of dredging for 
themselves. But by holding out a small inducement to 
fishermen they could succeed in procuring good specimens ; 
dredgers, trawlers, lobster and crab catchers, and herring men, 
were the most likely ; and at Bournemouth the herring men 
frequently got some good specimens of a somewhat rare form. 
Mr. Lovett then went on to say—Lobster pots may be 
examined with very satisfactory results, and where no fishing 
of any sort is done it is wonderful what may be taken from a 
small boat by using a light dredge and tangles, as invented by 
the captain of the ‘‘ Porcupine.’ Lobster pots may be im- 
provised out of old hampers or boxes, and if judiciously 
worked on good rocky shores should yield many varieties. 
We will now pass on to the preservation of these animals. 
If the specimens cannot be set out at once, or if they are caught 
by anyone who intends sending them, after some days or 
weeks, to the person forming a collection, they may be kept in 
a preservative salt, at present a patent, which hardens and 
preserves the colour in a marked degree. I hope to obtain the 
correct composition of this valuable material shortly. Having 
well soaked the specimen in fresh water for ten or twelve hours 
(except in the case of very hot weather or when decomposition 
has set in), we proceed as follows: In the case of the macrura, 
or crabs proper, the carapace should be taken off by cutting 
round the edge with a knife, the whole of the interior structure 
removed, and the exoskeleton well washed with fresh water ; 
powdered alum should next be sprinkled over the anterior of 
the specimen, care being taken that none of it is allowed to 
adhere to any of the external parts. The specimen should 
then be laid upon a piece of soft board, and the extraneous 
moisture removed, the carapace replaced, the legs, antenne, 
&c., arranged in the desired position with pins, and the board 
placed in a good drying locality. 
It will now be a question whether the specimen is to be 
spoilt or not, for if the heat or light be sufficient to act upon 
the carbonate of lime it will look like a boiled specimen at 
