REPTILES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 21 



tured thus, may be secured by means of a slip-noose of 

 horse-hair, wild oats, thread, or fine wire, deftly i)laced 

 over the head of the victim and then tightened with a 

 sudden jerk. However, by far the most satisfactory 

 method of procuring reptiles is to shoot them. For this 

 purpose small charges of fine shot are used in an auxil- 

 iary barrel, collecting pistol, or small calil)er rifle. The 

 last will prove much more effective if the rifling has 

 been removed. When taken in the hands our reptiles 

 often bite fiercely, but, even if they succeed in drawing 

 blood, none except the rattlesnakes and the Gila Mon- 

 ster can cause any serious injury, for only these are 

 poisonous. 



Nothing is better for preserving reptiles than alcohol, 

 though formalin may sometimes be used to advantage 

 when little space is at the collector's disposal. Care 

 should be taken to have the alcohol enter the body 

 cavity, for if it does not do so the specimens will not be 

 well preserved. The alcohol may be injected by means 

 of a hypodermic syringe, or slits may be cut through 

 the skin of the belly. These slits usually should be 

 about half an inch long. One is ordinarily sufficient in 

 case of a lizard, but in snakes several incisions should 

 be made at interval of three or four inches. The speci- 

 mens having been thus prepared, and labeled with the 

 exact locality and date of collection, as well as with the 

 collector's name and any notes upon habits, colors, etc., 

 should be placed in strong alcohol. Care should be 

 taken not to crowd the specimens into small jars with 

 too little alcohol, for if this be done the reptiles will 

 decay. If the number of jars at hand is so small as to 

 necessitate crowding, the alcohol should be renewed each 

 day until the specimens are thoroughly cured, after 

 which only enough alcohol to cover them is needed. 



