BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [54] 



soon made leaky by oxidation of the metal unless thoroughly and com- 

 l^letely coated inside with piu'e tin. When the latter, as is often the 

 case, has been adulterated with lead, it is liable to oxidize and is little 

 to be depended upon. 



A method of packing identified species for transportation which has 

 many advantages was invented by Dr. Stearns. He took old letters, 

 discarded blank books, and other stiff paper and provided himself with 

 a round stick about half an inch in diameter. Treating one side of the 

 paper with flour paste he proceeded to roll the sheets compactly over 

 his stick, which was then withdrawn, leaving tubes, which, when dry, 

 were extremely solid and could be cut into suitable lengths with a sharp 

 knife without collapsing. A wad of cotton in each end holds the shells 

 safely in the middle of the short tube, while the data can be written on 

 the outside. The economy and efficiency of this method, and its supe- 

 riority to the average x)ill-box process have caused it to become popular 

 wherever it has been introduced. The writer has even seen private 

 collections kept in such tubes neatly made of white paper. Except for 

 the larger si)ecies, the method is by no means the worst which could be 

 mentioned. 



BOOKS OF EEFEEEII^CE. 



This is not the place for a general bibliography, but, as almost all re- 

 quests for instructions to collectors are coupled with inquiries as to 

 what books are available for their use, it is thought that a few refer- 

 ences to general works may prove of advantage. 



The scientific study of mollusks progresses so fast that no manual or 

 text-book long remains up to the times in all particulars. The latest and 

 most extensive general work on the moUusca is by Dr. Paul Fischer,* and 

 is published in the French language. Indispensable for a student, it is 

 somewhat too far advanced for a beginner, and less useful than a more 

 elementary work for the average collector. A work which, notwith- 

 standing deficiencies due to age and the later advances of the science, 

 is still one of the best, if not the very best, English work to put into 

 the hands of a beginner in Conchology is Woodward's Manual of Ee- 

 cent and Fossil Shells,t as it is familiarly called, which for many years 

 has been a classic. Several editions have been published and it has 

 had several publishers, but it is still on sale and can be obtained 

 through any dealer in foreign books. The price is quite moderate, and 

 the work will be found useful and still (apart from changes in classifica- 

 tion) reasonably accurate. 



A later work, convenient on account of its numerous figures, but 



* Manuel de Conchyliologie [etc.]. Paris, F. Savy, 1887. 8^. Pp. 1369, 23 plates, 

 1,138 figures in the text. 



tA Manual of the Mollusca, a Treatise on Eecent and Fossil Shells [etc.], by Dr. 

 S. P. Woodward. London, various publishers, 1856 to 1871. 8°, about 500 pp., and 

 24 plates. 



