22 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



forceps, and scalpels ; reserves being rubbed over with mercurial ointment and stored 

 away where they can be looked at from time to time. 



The Deck-house. — When we got into hot weather, some of the operations carried on 

 in the work-room, such as changing the spirit in which specimens had been steeped for 

 some time, or skinning or preparing birds, in no way conduced to the comfort of the main- 

 deck. A small deck-house was accordingly built abaft the screw-well, and there any 

 processes which were likely to prove offensive was carried on under the control of 

 Mr Murray, with Pearcy as an assistant. The deck-house became also latterly the head- 

 quarters of the constant exercise of the tow-net, which in the hands of Mr Murray has 

 produced such valuable results. 



Preserving Media. — According to our experience, strong spirit of wine is by far the 

 safest and most convenient medium for preserving marine animals in quantity. The 

 ammunition was removed from the fore-magazine of the Challenger, and about a hun- 

 dred cylindrical iron vessels, each containing four gallons of 85 per cent, alcohol, were 

 stowed in the racks. A cistern, holding about thirty gallons, was fitted into the nettings 

 immediately above the work-room ; a pipe led the spirit down to a tap in the work-room, 

 and the spirit, which was under the charge of the gunner's mate, was handed up in the 

 cylinders when required and emptied into the tank, which was, of course, kept carefuUy 

 locked. The key of the spirit tap in the work-room I kept on my own bunch, and I may 

 add, that under this simple arrangement we never had the least difficulty about spirit, 

 although several thousand gallons passed in this way through the work-room during the 

 voyage. Our first supply of spirit was soon exhausted, but we found no difficulty in 

 having it renewed at aU our principal stopping places. 



A large number of cases of wide-mouthed bottles for preserving specimens in spirit 

 were also stored in the magazine, and were filled as they were required. The cases were 

 numbered and arranged in the racks in order, so that it was only necessary to give the 

 rotation-number to the gunner's-mate in charge, and any case required was at once 

 brought up to the work-room for inspection. 



The bottles in which the greater number of the specimens were preserved were those 

 known in the trade as " drop-bottles," manufactured for holding sweetmeats of various 

 kinds, chiefly for exportation. They are of pale green glass, very transparent, and are 

 closed by glass stoppers with cork rims. Three sizes were used, the diameters of the 

 bottles being 6 inches, 4^ inches, and 3f inches ; with mouths 3f , 2f , and If inches wide 

 respectively. The bottles were all 9 inches in height, and packed conveniently upright 

 into cases with wooden partitions and hinged lids, and padded at the bottom with cork. 

 These jars are extremely convenient, and are very moderate in price. 200 cases complete, 

 containing 2300 bottles, were supplied by E. Breffit & Co., Upper Thames Street, at a 



