
60 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VoL. XXXVI. 
gelatin. Remove the fish and place where the head is to lay a layer 
of pretty stiff gelatin liquid, also place some on the cork ; then lay 
the fish, previously well dried, on its unpainted side in its proper 
position in the glass. Soon the gelatin will be sufficiently hardened 
to permit the filling of the glass box with alcohol. If necessary, a 
hot knife may first be applied to the gelatin to fasten the fish 
securely to the glass. An eight-pound salmon fastened in this way 
has remained unchanged. The visitor sees nothing of this manner 
of fastening. 
As I have in the foregoing only spoken of the painting of fishes, I 
should here like to say that other objects to be kept in alcohol may 
be treated in the same manner, — reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, 
anatomical preparations, plants, etc. 
In our museum at Hamburg there are numerous painted objects of this 
kind from both fresh and salt water, and though very imperfectly painted, 
they have a lifelike appearance. Especially is this true of water plants. 
Such objects as sponges, which should have a uniform coloring, 
and which will stand being in water for a little while, may be put 
into a watery solution of the color, where they quickly become 
impregnated with it. 
Moulded glass vessels are not as perfect as they should be ; the 
surface is not exactly smooth; besides, it is made more or less 
dim by being in contact with the mould. The glass is thicker 
at the center and gradually thins out toward the edges and cor- 
ners. The side of an oblong moulded glass vessel is quite inferior 
to a similar surface of polished plate glass. It is not necessary 
that a vessel be made entirely of glass; the top, bottom, two 
ends, and farther side may as well be made of any other suitable 
materia. The side through which the observer must see the 
specimens cannot be too perfect. 
A few years ago Mr. J. E. Benedict, of the United States 
National Museum, appreciating the value of a glass vessel whose 
sides (front one at least) are planes, experimented considerably, 
constructing vessels by cementing together sheets of plate-glass. 
To hát extent he now regards this method as a success I am 
I never did believe his method received the recog- 
t deserved. It seems to me, however, that by using 
tho 2 the HM 1 surface must necessarily be limited, 





