408 .NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



a stick may be used, or a forked stick with which to pin the animal 

 to the ground. 



If not dead when taken, specimens may be killed by dropping 

 into alcohol. Snakes may be killed by taking them by the end of 

 the tail and giving them a quick snap which will dislocate the 

 vertebrae. 



The prepared specimens will keep better if the alcohol is injected 

 into the body cavity with a hypodermic syringe. If this is not at 

 hand, they may be slit open along the ventral side with a sharp- 

 pointed pair of scissors. In the case of snakes, short slits should 

 be made at intervals. It is well to keep the mouths of specimens 

 open by a wad of cotton or paper ; and turtles should have the feet 

 drawn out. Alcohol of the full commercial strength should not be 

 used for preserving. It is much better to put reptiles in alcohol 

 diluted with an equal part of water for the first 24 hours and then 

 into alcohol with one fourth of its volume of water. For batra- 

 chians, alcohol even weaker than this should be used ; at first with 

 two thirds water and after 24 hours with one third water. 



Labels of strong paper should be attached to the specimen but 

 should never be tied around the neck. For lizards and salamanders, 

 fasten it around the body just behind the fore legs ; for frogs and 

 toads, in front of the hind legs ; for snakes, around the body at 

 about the anterior third ; and for turtles to one of the legs. The 

 labels should be written with a soft lead pencil and should contain : 

 1) the exact locality where captured ; 2) the character of the soil 

 and vegetation where the specimen was found, whether on sand, 

 among rocks, under logs or stones, in holes, swamp, meadow, forest 

 or any such observations ; 3) date of capture ; 4) collector's name. 



After soaking in alcohol for from one to two weeks, according to 

 size, they are ready to be transported. For this purpose, a cigar 

 box, an old tomato can, or, better still, an empty baking powder can, 

 will serve. Take some cotton batting, soak it in alcohol and squeeze 

 it nearly dry ; then wrap each individual specimen up and pack sol- 

 idly in the box or can ; when the can is full, add as much alcohol as 

 the contents will hold without dripping ; wrap the parcel in several 

 thicknesses of strong paper, tie securely and forward by mail, if 

 not too large, to the State Museum, Albany N. Y. 



