228 TAGG—NOTES ON MUSEUM-METHODS 
Cracks resulting from shrinkage then follow the lines initiated by 
the knife. Care should be taken to guard against the attacks of 
insects. Destructive forms are sometimes present in the logs 
when they are brought to the museum, and these should be 
searched for before the specimens are stored. 
All dry specimens should be frequently examined, and any 
showing tunnellings of beetles or their larve should be promptly 
dealt with. If small enough they should be completely immersed 
in a poison solution. If this is impracticable they should be 
bathed or painted with the solution until it penetrates the borings 
completely. A poison solution I have found effective is the 
following :— 
Naphthalene, _.. 50 grms. 
Corrosive sublimate, . 5 grms. 
Methylated alcohol, 90 
per cent., . . . 1000 oc. 
Carbolic acid is sometimes added ; an objection to its use is 
that it may stain the specimen somewhat. 
¢. Dry fruits, roots with mycorhizal coverings, wood attacked by 
fungi, fungi themselves—particularly the more hard and solid 
kinds—all dry fairly well. For the majority of these no special 
method is resorted to. They are suspended in a well ventilated 
room or are simply laid in an open or ventilated box until dry. 
Sometimes it is advisable to pin or otherwise fasten the parts in 
position to prevent warping while drying. 
2. DRYING IN SAND,! 
The method of drying in sand is followed in all cases where 
the preservation of the colours of flowers is of importance. 
Some flowers so dried retain their colour if protected from strong 
light, and certainly look well. Preservation of the form of the 
flower depends much on the skill of the operator. From the 
nature of the method considerable shrinkage takes place, and 
the process seen ee is not adapted to the preservation 
of ce form 
method . have adopted is as follows :-— 
A aibaaid or paper box, with folding sides is secured and 
rrera, Report of Brit. Ass. for Adv. Science, 1896, p, 685. Cornélis, 
agen horticole, 1880, p. 230, 
