W. J. CAIRD. 



I fill my watch glass and poor " Mr Polype " has departed where the 

 wicked cease from troubling. I leave him a minute or so, then take him 

 out of his mUky fluid and drop him into a phial of pure methylated 

 spirit. After a minute in spirit of wine I put them in a 4% solution of 

 formalin. Thus I treat them all. In the case of the hermit crab I get 

 a convenient dish and put shell and all into the water. The polypes in 

 this case are much larger and can be seen by the naked eye. When a 

 good many are extended I dose the whole with spirit. Mr Crab 

 struggles, but the polypes are stiff at once. I pick off the larger specimens 

 with a forceps and add them to the phial. Be sure you put no weeds in 

 the phial. They must be removed after the first dosing with spirit. 



I think it is always better to stain your specimen by using some 

 aniline dye, say borax carmine. After soaking for a couple of minutes 

 or more according to the strength of your solution, place in an acid 

 spirit, say 75/ spirit, 2/ HC1. This will take the colour out, but do not 

 reduce it too much, as you will lose some colour yet before you are done. 

 Then put it in 90% alcohol mythelated spirit will do and from that 

 in a mixture of creasote and turpentine (half and half), then into pure 

 turpentine. From this to your slide, and mount in balsam. Be careful 

 your turpentine is pure the commercial turpentine is of no use for, if 

 bad, it will cause you endless bother and vexation ; and even when 

 finished, your slide will disappoint you, as water bubbles get in, and, by 

 their refraction, make close examination with a high power impossible. 



If you do not want your specimens for immediate mounting it is 

 advisable to work them off into turpentine, when if properly corked they 

 will keep for any length of time. Some try to keep them in spirit of 

 wine, but I find the body substance deteriorates, and gaps occur in its 

 substance. The polypes too become fragile, and the least shake some- 

 times plays the mischief with them. 



The same results of mounting might have been attained by working 

 from 90% alcohol to absolute alcohol, and then clove oil and balsam, but 

 I find it is more expensive. 



To obtain the second species of the generation the medusoids I 

 employ a tow net. It is composed of a hoop, 6 feet in circumference, 

 and a conical net of fine strong muslin, at the end of which I place a 

 zinc can with a rounded lip. I generally use it about half-tide, as I am 

 a lazy man. I pull out in a boat till I get into the tide and drop~ anchor. 

 Then I fill my can to make sure the net will sink, and lower away the 

 tide carrying it down and away from the boat. Occasionally I hold on 



