island, with latitude and longitude if possible, and any other 

 information thai may be collected and deemed of interest. Tims 

 may be stated the extent of deposit, average quantity removed 



each year and to what ports sent, also price at such ports, disco- 

 verer and date of discovery, and owners' names. r .l ne label should 

 consist of stout paper, written upon with ink, and placed within 

 the bag. Labels sewed on outside are liable to being rubbed off. 

 Dealers in* guano will oblige by forwarding specimens of guanos 

 and any information respecting them. 



Shell cleanings. — The sand, mud, algae, zoophytes, and ascidi-. 

 ans washed or scraped off of shells from all parts of the world 

 yield rich crops of Diatoms, and it is desirable to procure as many 

 of these gatherings as possible. They can be washed, or still 

 better, scraped off of the living or dead shells (the dirtier such 

 shells appear the better), placed in paper and plainly labelled, 

 with the exact locality, and if possible, name of the shell 'and 

 depth of water in which it was taken. Conchologists will do well 

 to save all their shell-cleanings for this purpose. When possible 

 the whole shell, or any fragments in an uncleaned state should be 

 sent. 



Marine Invertebrata. — Specimens of the entire animal or the 

 contents of the stomach of Echinoidea and Holothuroidea may 

 be sent, as they have been found to yield very fine specimens of 

 microscopic organisms. The entire animal should be preserved 

 in spirit (if alcohol is not procurable brandy or whiskey will an- 

 swer), but if that be not convenient, they, as well as the contents 

 of the stomachs, may be dried without washing. When preserved 

 in spirits the label may be written in ink on stiff paper or parch- 

 ment, and when quite dry, tied to the specimen and immersed with 

 it in the spirit. In this way several specimens can be preserved 

 in the same vessel. This method will be found the safest, as labels 

 pasted or gummed on, or otherwise attached to, the vessel are 

 often obliterated, from leakage of the fluid, or removed in trans- 

 porting. The stomachs of Mollusca also occasionally yield spe- 

 cimens of Diatoms, and it will be well to secure specimens of those 

 creatures in the same way. The stomachs of fish, in the same way, 

 have been found to contain specimens of microscopic organisms. 



Soundings, taken in all parts of the world, are desirable. Note 

 the latitude and longitude, depth of water, with name of vessel 

 and collector. 



