THE MUSEUM HIS HEADQUARTERS 33 



TO DR. J. B. SHAW 



Cambridge, Apl. 13, 1863. 

 My friend, Mr. Levi Parsons, tells me that you have 

 been kind enough to offer to make collections for us 

 here. I cannot allow my letter to him to go without 

 thanking you sincerely for your efforts in behalf of our 

 Museum, and I shall look forward with pleasure to the 

 time when we may receive something from you. We 

 have absolutely nothing from Santa Barbara and that 

 region, so that everything you find, no matter what it 

 is, provided it creeps on land or swims in the water, or 

 flies in the air, is acceptable. Be not afraid either of 

 sending too many specimens. They are always valuable 

 for exchanges. I shall in the course of a few weeks 

 send you a few circulars containing directions for col- 

 lecting; we are at present out of them and wait for the 

 printers. In the meanwhile I would call your attention 

 to a few animals of which we shall desire especially to 

 have specimens at this time : they are the starfishes, sea- 

 urchins or sea-eggs as they are called, all kinds of corals, 

 of which I hear there are several species in the channel. 

 As all these things are preserved dry, as well as in 

 alcohol, they will be but little trouble. Before being 

 set in the sun to dry it would be a good plan to dip 

 them into hot water ; this kills at once and removes all the 

 salty matter. The beaches after a storm are good local- 

 ities for collecting masses of dried shells, starfishes, sea- 

 urchins, corals, thrown up by the waves. The fisher- 

 men's seines when drawn up leave crabs, etc., on the 

 beach of no use to them. The fish market is the simplest 

 way of getting a good collection of fishes. 



