68 THE NATURALIST’S GUIDE. 
Upon arriving home, and opening the box, I found that 
the jar had become broken, and the liquid had escaped. 
The smaller reptiles, etc. I placed in alcohol; but a rep- 
tile known as the “Glass Snake” and a young Rabbit 
were left out for want of room, set away and forgotten. 
Upon looking them up about a month afterwards, I found, 
to my surprise, that the “snake” had dried completely 
‘without shrinking in the least, and, moreover, it retained all 
the peculiar glossiness of life!- The Rabbit had not shrunk 
any more than if it had been in strong alcohol. 
Such is the result of an accident. Whether this discov- 
ery will prove of general practical use in preserving reptiles 
is yet to be proven. 
