234 H. Goadby king wet Preparations of Animal Substances. 
must hang mid-way in the fluid like the coffin of Mahomet, 
years ago, with special reference to this subject. The naturalist 
who stuffs birds or beasts, imparts as much of character to his 
specimens as possible ; and the great end that I have always pro- 
posed to myself in connection with my glass vessels, is to do as 
much for those animals that can only be preserved as wet prepa- 
rations, as has hitherto been commonly done with dried speci- 
mens, and I believe I have pretty well succeeded. 
I have displayed in upright vessels two specimens of Argo- 
nauta argo as if walking upon a large piece of branched white 
coral, the latter being fixed to the bottom of the vessel. Z00- 
phytes attached to shells, or stones, I have displayed as I found 
them, and so of other animals) * * * * 
One of the chief difficulties in the way of examining wet prep- 
arations, whether in bottles or otherwise, is, that they are literally 
drowned in light. Now, as every ray of light that is not wante 
is in the way, I carefully stop it out. Few preparations have 
more than one really valuable surface—that which in a public 
museum is placed towards the spectator; by making the opposite 
surface of the preparation jar black, the light, instead of going 
through tHe vessel, is arrested, and all that is superfluous ab- 
sorbed; the preparation is thrown forward, and there is really 2 
effect more light with which to examine it. The band of black 
should not be too broad, but nicely apportioned to the require: 
ments of the preparation. Among the few preparations that J 
mounted in bottles and preparation jars for the museum of t 
Royal College of Surgeons, I ventured to carry out this idea, and 
the results fully justify all that I have said or can say. Fore 
and most conspicuous amongst those with the black back, 8 
preparation of the cerebro-spinal axis of man, and the spinal cord 
placed. I encountered deeply rooted prejudices, due to an aver’ 
sion to whatever is new; the introduction of a back ground ' 
