1 INTRODUCTION. 
The animals must not be plunged alive into spirit and straightway 
sealed up. If this is done they will exude a thick coat of mucus, 
which surrounds them like a cocoon, and, moreover, they will shrink 
up to a very small uninteresting mummy. 
They should be drowned in cold water, and when dead should be 
cleaned of the inevitable mucous coat with a paint-brush. They 
should then be put into methylated spirit and water (in proportion of 
I spirit to 3 water). After three or four days they should be again 
wiped and transferred to a mixture of equal spirit and water, and 
finally, after another interval of the same length, to a mixture of 
3 spirit to I water. 
By this means their tendency to shrink is minimized, and they are 
more apt to retain their markings, which pure spirit is apt to obliterate. 
The various slugs in glass tubes, arranged in trays on cotton wool 
and carefully labelled, have a novel and attractive appearance in a 
collection. The corks of these tubes should be forced down just 
below the rim of the tube and sealed by a coat of shellac dissolved 
in spirit. 
The shells of most slugs are covered by the mantle, under which 
the blade of a pen-knife or scalpel should be inserted to effect their 
removal. Many prefer to kill the animals first in boiling water, which 
method recommends itself on the score of humanity and convenience ; 
but in this case the animal is useless for further preservation. 
The shells thus extracted may be gummed on strips of black card. 
The skins of slugs may be preserved in the following manner :— 
Drown the animal, wipe it dry, lay it on its back and cut weardy all 
the sole away ; then remove the contents of the body and straightway 
flatten out the skin, inside downwards, on a piece of white cardboard. 
The skin should be well stretched out and the tentacles ‘‘ teased ” 
into position. The skin will dry in position and will adhere to the 
card. Care should be taken to get the card thick, or the inevitable 
