^^ 



Sect. XI,] 



ZOOLOGl' 



365 



i 



*\ 



■ ft 



4M 



1 



*•'■ 



\ 



* 1 



*^ 



^ ^ 



VERTEBEATA 



Fishes. 



9 



All specimeiii5 not too large to be preserved entire should 

 be immediately plunged into spirit or solution. In the 

 case of cartilaginous or soft-spined fishes the solution should 

 be No. I. Fishes with hard spines should be preserved in 

 the solution No. IL It will be found to be convenient to 

 have a common receptacle for the fresh-caught specimens 

 and to transfer them, after soaking a day or two, into the 

 vessel, with fresh spirit or solution^ in w^hich they are to 

 be sent home. As the colours are more or less eva- 

 nescent, it is desirable that they should be accurately noted 



before death. 



With regard to large specimens of the shark or ray 

 kind, John Hunter recommended that ^^ the :??bdomen 

 should be first opened, then the head taken ofi* by dividing 

 the fish below the heart across the upper part of the liver, 

 by which means the mouths of th^ oviduct; 



^^ ^^ be a 



'^j IT 11 



female, the heart, and head are all preserved together. 



" The tail, if a thick one, as that of a shark^ may be 

 taken off* a little below the anus, and the trunk alone 

 preserved for examination. If the trunk be too large, it 

 should be cut through above the pelvis, and the parts 

 contained in the hinder portion, as the claspers of the 

 male, should be preserved in spirit. 



" If a female, separate the two oviducts througli their 

 whole length, where they run along the abdomen, on each 

 side of the spine ; but keep them attached to tlie cloaca 

 and surrounding parts, and preserve the whole. 



tti- 



