186 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1886. 



tory method of holding these vials and of fastening them into drawers 

 or cases held at all angles, from perpendicular to horizontal. Most alco- 

 holic collections are simply kept standing, either in tubes with broad 

 basps or in tubes held in wooden or other receptacles ; but for a biolog- 

 ical collection of insects something that could be used in connection 

 with the pinned specimens and that could be easily removed from place 

 to place was desirable. After trying many different contrivances 1 

 finally prepared a block, with Mr. Hawley's assistance, which answers 

 every purpose of simplicity, neatness, security, and convenience. It is, 

 so far as I know, unique, and witt be of advantage for the same purpose 

 to other museums. Hence I have concluded in this report to give a 

 brief description of it. It has been in use now for the past three years, 

 and in every way has been of great help and satisfaction in the arrange- 

 ment and preservation of the alcoholic specimens. 



The blocks are oblong, one-fourth of. an inch thick, the ends (c c, fig. 1) 

 beveled, the sides straight. They vary of course in length and breadth, 

 according to the different sizes of the vials, and are painted white. 

 Upon the upper side of these blocks are fastened two curved clamps of 

 spring wire (b &, fig. 2), forming about two-thirds of a complete circle. 

 The fastening to the block is simple and secure. The wire is first bent 

 into a loop as shown in figure, a brad-awl is used to make a slot in the 

 block into which this loop is forced (e, fig. 3), a drop of warm water 

 being first put into the slot to soften the wood which swells and closes 

 so firmly around the wire that it requires considerable force to pull it 

 out. Four pointed wire nails (d d d d, fig. 4) set into the bottom so as 

 to project about one-fourth an inch serve to hold the block to the cork 

 bottom of the case or drawer in which it is desirable to place it. The 

 method of use is simple and readily seen from the corresponding figures 

 which represent the block from all sides. 



The advantages of the block are the ease and security with which it 

 can be placed into or removed from a box, the ease with which a vial 

 can be slipped into or removed from the wire clamps, the security with 

 which it is held, and the fact that practically no part of the contents 

 of the vial is obscured by the holder — the whole being visible from 

 above. 



The beveled ends of the block may be used for labeling, or pieces of 

 clean card-board cut so as to project somewhat on all sides may be 

 used for this purpose and will be held secure by the pins between the 

 block and the cork of the drawers. 



Our routine work has consisted of (1) acknowledgment and preserva- 

 tion of the accessions, (2) the departmental correspondence, (3) the de- 

 termination of material sent in for naming, (4) exchanges, (5) utilization 

 of old alcoholic material, (6) work on the exhibit collection, (7) work on 

 the study collection, (8) proper supervision and preservation of all col- 

 lections, and may be more fully considered under these several heads. 



