62 TAXIDERMY AND MODELLING 



some cubic centimetres of chloroform is placed in the water, and 

 the cover is replaced, leaving the subjects exposed for from two 

 to three hours to the fumes of the chloroform. Finally, the 

 animals are killed by the chrom-acetic mixture No. 2 (Formula 

 38), hardened in ^ per cent, solution of chromic acid, followed 

 as usual by alcohol, in which they are suspended. 



By this singular method, probably derived from Hertwig 

 {Die Actinien), Lo Bianco has obtained the most perfect results. 



Hot and Cold Fresh Water- — "An excellent plan," says 

 Lee, " for preparing many marine animals is to kill them in hot 

 fresh water. Some of the larger Nemertians are better pre- 

 served by this method than by any other. 



"Marine Animals are sometimes successfully killed by 

 simply putting them into fresh water." This often induces them 

 to extend the retractile parts, e.g. the Sipunculidae. 



" Warm Water will sometimes serve to immobilise and even 

 kill both marine and fresh-water organisms." 



These methods have been adopted, with fairly satisfactory 

 results, in the laboratory of the Leicester Museum, with the 

 terrestrial mollusca, slugs and snails often dying well extended 

 even in cold water if air be excluded ; but sometimes this fails, 

 as does also warm water, owing, no doubt, to the difficulty of 

 just hitting on the right temperature and knowing when 

 to stop adding more and ' hotter water. Objects so killed 

 have been subsequently hardened in bichromate solution 

 (Formula 42), and casts have been successfully taken from 

 them. 



Probably, however, the best results may be obtained by 

 placing the terrestrial gastropods, says Lee, " into a jar quite 

 full of water that has been deprived of air by boiling, and 

 hermetically closed. After from twelve to twenty-four hours, 

 the animals are generally found dead and extended. The effect 

 is obtained somewhat quicker if a little tobacco be added to the 



