BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [50] 



THE CABII^ET AND ITS FUENITURE. 



CASES, TRAYS, AND TUBES. 



The most convenient cabinet for the purposes of the collector of 

 shells is one containing numerous shallow drawers in which the shells 

 can be placed. Very elaborate cabinets of this sort are a luxury on 

 which collectors and ordinary naturalists are seldom able to spend 

 their money. Very convenient and entirely satisfactory cases, how- 

 ever, may be made with but little expense, in the following manner : 

 Having first a plain outside case of suitable dimensions, to prepare 

 it for the drawers let small straps of hard wood the length of the 

 drawers be securely fastened horizontally at aboat an inch apart from 

 the top to the bottom of the case on each side. These will form the 

 rails upon which the drawers will run. The drawers having been 

 prepared of different depths for the different sizes of shells, similar 

 strips are fastened on them midway along each side. These strips run 

 in the spaces between the strips nailed upon the outer case, and sup- 

 port the drawers. In this manner, all the drawers being of one size^ 

 differing only in depth, any drawer can be put into any part of the case. 

 A deeper drawer can be intercalated between two shallow ones and so on, 

 at the pleasure of the collector. The front of the case may be made of an 

 ordinary sash door if the collector can afford it. Otherwise a wooden 

 door may be used, but the edges against which the door shuts should 

 be grooved to the depth of a quarter of an inch all around the door- 

 way. On the door itself, so as to fit into this grooving, should be tacked 

 small rubber tubing which, when the door is shut and securely fastened,, 

 will exclude the dust completely, and keep the collection in good order. 

 Such a case as this is quite inexpensive, and if the collector obtains a 

 large box, such as are used for the better class of packing cases, he can 

 make a very satisfactory case for himself with the aid of a few strips 

 of wood, screws, and a screw-driver. In order to exclude dust, which 

 is a great enemy to most collections, if the case is not absolutely tight 

 it will be well to paper it all over outside. This will improve its ap- 

 pearance if neatly done and make it perfectly dust tight. From such 

 rude home-made appliances to the more elegant work of the professional 

 cabinet-maker the collector may proceed as his means allow, but the 

 principle upon which our home-made cabinet just described is con- 

 structed is the best one to follow, no matter how elegantly the work 

 may be done. The principle of having all drawers interchangeable and 

 of the same size, all trays multiples of a unit of size, and in general all 

 parts based upon some fundamental unit of measurement or capacity, 

 is that to which the best museums of the present day are universally 

 tending. The convenience of the arrangement for the private collector 

 is almost as great as for the public museum ; since it in no way increases 

 the cost it certainly is the best plan to follow. 



