48 -collector's manual 



once a day for the first few days after the specimens are put into 

 them, and if any soft spots develop — usually greenish sunken 

 areas above the stomach or intestines — a deep puncture of the 

 skin above the soft places should be made, and a little fresh 

 preserving fluid added. In the Tropics it is necessary to put a 

 freshly killed animal into preservative almost as soon as it has 

 been killed, to prevent drying out and decaying. 



For shipping, specimens should be loosely wrapped and tied 

 in a piece of white cheesecloth or other light-weight cloth, with 

 the label attached to each specimen or group of specimens coming 

 from a single locality. Saturate the cloth with preserving fluid 

 and lay the bundles of specimens in a clean gasoline tin, the top 

 of which may be soldered shut when it is full. Do not let the 

 skin of any specimen come directly in contact with the tin, for 

 it will rust, especially if the preserving fluid is formalin. Do not 

 crowd the specimens too tightly, but use packing material — 

 excelsior, cotton, or cloth — if necessary to keep the bundles from 

 shaking around in the can. Be sure that packing material is 

 white or light-colored, as dark-colored material may discolor the 

 specimens and labels. 



FISHES 



Fish may be collected by ordinary hook-and-line fishing, or 

 with small nets. A tow net is useful for obtaining fish at sea, 

 especially at night, as oceanic fishes come closer to the surface 

 at night than in the daytime. A submarine light placed over the 

 side of a ship or boat will attract fishes so that they can be 

 caught in dip nets or a throw net. Fishing over the side of a 

 ship when at anchor, and trolling off the stern while the ship 



