INTRODUCTION. 5 
opened. 7% boxes are much better than ‘‘chip” boxes or pill-boxes, 
as they are less likely to get 
broken, and do not come to 
pieces when wet.  Hispid 
shells should be put into 
a box by themselves, and 
only a few together, as their 
neighbours’ slime is apt to 
spoil their personal appear- 
ance. For the minute 
species of freshwater shells 
a small wide-necked bottle 
filled with water may he 
found useful to dip the fin- 
gers in, and so wash off the 
shells, which often adhere 
Collecting tin with sliding door in the . C 
: ene : : cS 7 e 
lid to insert shells without removing the persistently, and reqs 
lid; convenient for a side coat pocket. much time to dislodge in 
safety. The shells will sink to the bottom, and the water may be 
poured away. For the minute and delicate species of both land 
and water, it is not a bad plan to keep one or two small glass tubes 
in the waistcoat pocket. Along one side of these a strip of gummed 
paper (stamp-edging is very good) should be fastened to hold the 
glass together if cracked by a fall. Such tubes are obtainable at a 
hhomceopathic chemist’s. 
Any one who has tried it knows how difficult it is to get doz/2ng 
water to clean the shells at night in an hotel or lodging-house, and 
even if this be forthcoming, how impossible it is to carry on operations 
in peace and quietness. To meet this difficulty I have a small spirit 
lamp with a folding tripod stand. This is packed in a small tin box 
which acts as the pan to boil the water. The whole apparatus takes 
up little room in a knapsack, and renders one independent of others 
