228 PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



of Microscopic Objects;" G. E.Davis' "Practical Microscopy;" 

 Gosse's " Half-hours mtb. tlie Microscope ; " Wood's " Coninion 

 Objects of the Microscope ; " any of Quekett's works, and to 

 late nnmbers of tbe Monthly Microscopical Journal, Nature, 

 Science Gossip (the latter teeming with practical bints on all 

 matters connectedwith natural history), and hosts of other works. 



This chapter, dealing as it does with details and hints upon 

 many subjects, may fittingly be closed with scraps forgotten in 

 the body of this work, but which now occur to me as being 

 useful knowledge. 



Staech as Paste (see page 88). — ^Procure some common 

 Gtarch (that which is white looking is perhaps the best), mix it 

 up with a little cold water, just sufficient to dissolve it, stirring 

 it thoroughly to prevent lumps. Pour upon this sufficient 

 ooiling water to make it into a stin paste. This will be found 

 most useful for clean paper or photographic work, as it enables 

 paper to be pasted on cardboard, &c., without creasing. The 

 paper should be first wetted on the face side, the back pasted 

 with the starch-paste, fixed on the cardboard, and the whole 

 dried off by blotting paper. For common taxidermic work, 

 j)aste containing resin (sold at leather merchants') is strong 

 and cheap. 



Best Gltje, made in the ordinary manner, but rather thicker 

 than usual, then poured into a bottle containing enough methy- 

 lated spirit to thin it, is recommended as being a strong medium 

 to stick paper on wood or cardboard, with the advantage 

 claimed for it that it does not cause the thin v/cod or cardboard 

 to "cast" or "buckle." 



Marine Gltje dissolved in diluted acetic acid makes a strong 

 cement for certain things, such as mending shells. This, as also 

 the preparation of Formula ISTo. 33, page 89, should be kept in 

 bottles, or small stoppered jars, and melted for use by sur- 

 rounding with hot water. 



Leather is (so says a bookbinder) to he pasted, after it is 

 damped on the outside. Cloth is to be glued. This is useful to 

 know if making up cloth-covered boxes with leather backs, to 

 imitate books (see Chapter XY., on Entomology). 



Anti-Insect !N'ostrums (see pages 85-7). — Russian tallow in 



