COLLECTING AND PEESERVING 315 



Diamond drills are sold for the purpose, at about one 

 shilling, but the diamond chip usually drops out the first 

 time of using. I have drilled many hundreds of holes with 

 a steel drill as above, hardened in zinc chloride. 



A question often arises as to the desirability or otherwise 

 of artificially colouring such specimens as lose their natural 

 tints in drying (or in fluid). My own opinion is that it is 

 admissible, only, it must be done judiciously and carefully, 

 keeping true to nature, and not striving for effect. 



For instance, say a large U raster glacialis (Fig. 23). The 

 colour of this in life is usually a slaty grey, with pink tips 

 to the arms. After preserving and drying it is (usually) 

 a pale yellow. Now I hold that it is better to touch up the 

 specimen a bit than give a false idea of its appearance in 

 life. I need not specify the kinds of colours that should 

 be used, but the aniline dyes, well diluted to tint, do very 

 well. 



Avoid painting ; this is generally an outrage, but a faint 

 wash of dye, the surface of the specimen having been 

 previously moistened, will result in correct effect. 



This work, like all other in the preservation of natural 

 history, requires skill, and skill is the offspring of practice. 



