FOR COLLECTING. 701 



is left either at the top or on the sides. When the case is full, 

 the lid is soldered on, with a round hole about half an inch in 

 diameter near one of the corners. This hole is left in order to 

 pour the spirit through it into the case. Care is taken to drive 

 out the air which may remain between the specimens, and to 

 surround them completely with spirits, until the case is quite 

 full. Finally, the hole is closed by a small square lid of tin 

 being soldered over it. In order to see whether the case keeps 

 in the spirit perfectly, it is turned upside down and left over 

 night. When all is found to be securely fastened, the zinc case is 

 placed into the wooden box and ready for transport. 



Now and then it happens in tropical climates that collectors 

 are unable to keep fishes from decomposition even in the strongest 

 spirits without being able to detect the cause. In such cases a 

 remedy will be found in mixing a small quantity of arsenic or 

 sublimate with the spirits ; but the collector ought to inform his 

 correspondent, or the recipient of the collection, of this admix- 

 ture having been made. 



In former times fishes of every kind, even those of small size, 

 were preserved dry as flat skins or stuffed. Specimens thus pre- 

 pared admit of a very superficial examination only, and therefore 

 this method of conservation has been abandoned in all larger 

 museums, and should be employed exceptionally only, for in- 

 stance on long voyages overland, during which, owing to the 

 difficulty of transport, neither spirits nor vessels can be carried. 

 To make up as much as possible for the imperfection of such 

 specimens, the collector ought to sketch the fish before it is 

 skinned, and to colour the sketch if the species is ornamented 

 with colours likely to disappear in the dry example. Collectors 

 who have the requisite time and skill, ought to accompany their 

 collections with drawings coloured from the living fishes ; but at 

 the same time it must be remembered that, valuable as such 

 drawings are if accompanied by the originals from which they 

 were made, they can never replace the latter, and possess a sub- 

 ordinate scientific value only. 



Very large fishes can be preserved as skins only ; and col- 

 lectors are strongly recommended to prepare in this manner the 

 largest examples obtainable, although it will entail some trouble 



