Natural History. 173 



articulation between the joints, as to prevent that separation 

 which so frequently takes place ; and he found the best to be 

 the application of dilute lime-water, before drying. Echini 

 were first emptied, and then the animal put into lime-water for 

 12 hours, taken out and dried in the shade, and put in the 

 same water for two hours, and then dried, the spines being pre- 

 served in their place by cotton. 



Asteriae were put alive into lime-water, and treated as the 

 echini. Such as were fleshy had the flesh first removed. There 

 are some so delicate as not to be able to bear immersion until 

 dead ; when alive, even fresh water will cause them to separate 

 into many pieces. 



With the crustaceous animals, as the crab, the head is first 

 removed and dried in the shade, then the body and limbs emp- 

 tied as much as possible. The specimen is then placed in 

 lime-water five or six hours, and dried in the shade thrice suc- 

 cessively. When dry, and having but little odour, the head is 

 replaced, and the whole preserved in the shade. The colours 

 are very little injured by the operation. — Journ. de Physique, 

 xcv. 155. 



19. African Geography. — Mr. Bowdich has made arrange- 

 ments for the speedy publication of a sketch of the Portuguese 

 establishments in Congo, Angola, and Benguela, with some 

 account of the modern discoveries of the Portuguese in the 

 interior of Angola and Mozambique, with a map of the coast 

 and interior. 



