THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 129 



For the preservation of animals in ardent spirits, glass-bot- 

 tles are by far the best, and those of a square shape are to be 

 preferred, on account of their packing better. 



Considerable attention is required in placing- the animals, 

 and also in regulating the proper strength of the spirits. 



Rum, brandy, gin, arrack, or whisky, may be used, but the 

 less it is coloured so much the better, and the strength should 

 not exceed from 16 to 22 degrees of Baume, otherwise it will 

 destroy the colour of the animals. Any mucous or other sub- 

 stance should be carefully removed, and dirt taken away. 

 The animal should not reach the bottom of the bottle, as 

 it is liable to decay by touching the bottle. M. Peron directs 

 that the specimen should be attached to a flat piece of cork, 

 by which means it is held suspended in the spirits, and thus 

 several may be placed in the same vessel, without injuring 

 each other. But the most simple method is to put the speci- 

 men in a net, or linen bag ; and if these are attached to cork 

 they will remain suspended in the vessel. A slight incision 

 should be made in the abdomen, to allow the spirits to reach 

 the internal cavities, so that it may prevent decay. A day or 

 two after the animals are placed in the bottles, it will be ne- 

 cessary to fill them up again, as part of the liquor will have 

 been absorbed by the specimen. The corks should then be 

 luted with the composition mentioned at page 120. Corks are 

 to be preferred to every thing else for stoppers. Before ap- 

 plying the luting, the cork must be perfectly dry, otherwise 

 it will not adhere. The luting is first heated to the boiling 

 point, and well stirred from the bottom, with a piece of rag 

 attached to a small stick, and the luting may be applied with 

 this all over the cork. A piece of strong linen is then tied 

 over the cork, and if the bottles are large, a piece of wire 

 should be crossed over them, and the whole must then be 

 coated over with pitch. 



The traveller, or naturalist, will be best informed in regard 

 to the animals which are peculiar to the different quarters of 

 the globe, by consulting a natural history ; for example the 

 Regne Animal of Cuvier, or Goldsmith's Animated Nature, 

 brought down to the present time. The latter, of course, will 

 be the best adapted to the purpose of the English reader. 



