FIJI-NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITION 51 
laboratory in about ten minutes. Several of the larger and finer 
specimens were packed separately in strong boxes, and we took 
every precaution we could invent. We used fine toilet paper in 
little wads packing them firmly, but not too forcibly, in and 
around the very bases of the branches and building gradually out- 
ward towards the tips. Then we collected a quantity of coarse 
dried grass which almost covered the island, pressed it in between 
the tips and built out beyond them so that we had a light but 
rather firmly compacted ball somewhat larger than the extreme 
measurements of the corallum. Next they were placed carefully, 
each in a separate box, and dried grass packed around so that no 
portion of the specimen touched the container. One by one these 
boxes were packed and nailed up, numbered and carefully labeled 
with printed pasters brought for the purpose. As a matter of 
fact, our packing was fairly successful as only one big specimen 
was badly broken in transit to Iowa City. 
The smaller corals, dried mollusks and echinoderms were easily 
packed in whatever boxes were at hand, so that the dried material 
was soon disposed of. 
We had collected quantities of specimens of the commoner kinds 
for use in the zoological and botanical laboratories, and they were 
earefully packed by Wylie before he left. We also had tanks in 
wooden cases for stock laboratory material in which we placed 
quantities of the big blue starfish and other wet specimens, wrap- 
ping some of them in the dried grass for protection, and then 
pouring in the alcohol or formalin as the case seemed to require. 
The smaller wet material, and this included most of the more 
valuable specimens collected, was packed in the special collecting 
chests devised by my friend and former pupil, Dr. Paul Bartsch 
of the United States National Museum. Each chest contained 
square bottles with cork lined metal stoppers which screwed on. 
A small amount of melted paraffin was poured into each stopper 
which also had a layer of cork supposed to fit tight against the 
top of the bottle when screwed on. The paraffin and cork together 
usually sealed the bottles in a satisfactory manner. Still smaller 
specimens were placed in small wide-mouthed bottles and vials, 
each cork tied on and then dipped in melted paraffin. 
All this took a good deal of time. Stoner was not feeling well 
on account of a cold contracted on collecting trips but he stuck 
to his task to the end. Then the microscopes, photographie mat- 
erial, books, charts and miscellaneous equipment had to be eare- 
