288 ANATOMY OF THE RABBIT. 
to avoid contamination from the surface. These are especially 
necessary in view of the thick coating of hairs. It is a good plan, 
therefore, to sponge the animal with a preserving fluid which will 
penetrate the coat immediately, or if many specimens are being 
prepared, to immerse the whole animal for a moment. A suitable 
fluid for this purpose is formalin-alcohol, made by adding 2% of 
formalin to a mixture of equal parts of ordinary spirit and water. 
The alcohol ensures immediate penetration and assists the formalin 
in preservation. The fluid should be squeezed out of the coat so 
far as practicable. An excess is undesirable because the alcohol 
tends to withdraw fluid from the body if the animals are kept for 
some time before dissection, but more especially because the fluid 
is likely to get into the material during dissection where it has the 
effect of removing glycerin, so that the tissues become brittle and 
dry rapidly on exposure. 
For the storage of material either before or during dissection 
no precaution is necessary except that of protecting the body from 
undue exposure to evaporation. The animals may be stored in a 
spirit tank if raised above the level of the fluid, or may be kept 
individually in special prepared boxes for convenience in_ the 
laboratory. A zinc-lined copper box with sliding top, of dimen- 
sions 6 x 6 x 20 inches, will be found to be adequate and of proper 
proportions for animals of average size. 
