120 ETON NATUKE-STUDY 



to the bottom of the box in a way that permits of its easy removal. 

 Such things as shells, and even insects, can be placed upon white 

 cotton-wool with advantage. The box should be filled to nearly the 

 required height with common wadding, and a piece of thin cardboard 

 cut so that it will fall easily into the box. Over this a somewhat 

 larger piece of jeweller's cotton -wool should be laid, and before 

 it is placed in the box, the edges of the cotton- wool should be 

 turned beneath the card. After being put into position, the cotton- 

 wool may be still further straightened by tucking it in with the 

 points of scissors or forceps. 



Should the specimen be large or heavy, a hole should be cut in 

 the card beforehand, so that it may have a hollow in which to rest. 



In museum work the object sought is to avoid over strong con- 

 trasts. Shining white backgrounds, as a rule, so force themselves 

 upon the eye that the details of a dark specimen resting upon them 

 are not evident. If the surface of the background is not smooth, as 

 in cotton-wool or velvet, the glaring effect is a good deal softened. 

 The same holds good in the case of white opal glass when immersed 

 in methylated alcohol. A background should either be lighter or 

 darker than the specimen, while the labels, especially if there be a 

 large expanse of them, should be correspondingly darker or lighter 

 than the background, but of a different tint from that of the specimen. 



Such animals and plants as cannot be kept dry, may be mounted 

 by being stuck* on to glass opal, when they are dark, or on to 

 ordinary glass, behind which a second piece of the required tint 

 may be further placed and kept in spirit. 



For small things, cylindrical jars either stoppered or corked, may 

 be adopted, in cases where the distortion does not matter. Flat- 



* See Appendix, page 149. 



