62 collector's manual 



made for museum collectors are about 4 inches in diameter, with 

 a 5- or 6-inch handle. 



For handling larger and, to the collector, more questionable 

 animals, a pair of long forceps is useful. These can be improvised 

 from light bar-iron, wire, or pieces of wood and a spring. A crab 

 slapped down with the flat of the hand does not get a chance 

 to use his pincers, and can be picked up by taking hold of the 

 shell near the hind end, or grasping the two legs of the last 

 pair with one hand. If one leg is seized, the crab usually parts 

 with it and so escapes. 



Whenever possible, a number of specimens of each kind should 

 be preserved. 



Proper labeling of material is most important, as ordinarily an 

 animal without locality label is not worth saving. Field labels 

 should be plainly and legibly written in soft pencil, giving the 

 place, date, depth at which taken in the case of aquatic animals, 

 and name of the collector. These data may be supplemented 

 usefully with notes regarding the conditions under which the 

 material was taken, environment, other organisms with which 

 the specimens were associated, host in the case of parasites, and 

 notes on color. A good grade, heavy bond paper should be used 

 if it can be obtained. Shipping tags or the usual tablet or writing 

 papers go to pieces in any kind of liquid. Formalin is particularly 

 hard on paper. If possible, the label should be protected against 

 abrasion by wrapping or tjdng it in a piece of cloth, especially 

 if there is any doubt about the quality of paper used. The label 

 should be placed in the bottle or container with the specimens 

 in all cases. It ma}'' be supplemented by a label pasted or tied 

 to the outside, but never omit the inside label as the outside one 

 may become detached. 



