Zoological Miscellany. 



51 



can clean the worst of them perfectly. Amnicola, Bythinella, Gillia, 

 Somatogyrus, etc., small univalves, almost universally stained, should 

 be put into the test-tube with the sand, and a small amount of the oxalic 

 acid solution, and shaken as before described for the small land shells. 

 They can thus be rendered perfectly clean, all stains will be removed, 

 and, instead of having your collection of these shells as much dirt as 

 shell, unless, as I have known to be the case, you wash them one by 

 one, you will have a clean and beautiful series, that it will be a de- 

 light to stud\'. I should not undertake to remove the animals from 

 such small shells, as if collected in the alcohol, as before described, 

 the animals will be much shrunken, and, when dried, will not dis- 

 figure the shell particularly. 



Pisidium and all the smaller Sphcerium are often stained, and 

 should be put into the test-tube and treated in precisely the same way. 

 The larger species may be scalded, and the animal removed as 

 above described for the Uniones. 



In conclusion, I wish to impress upon all collectors the advantage 

 of having good, clean, perfect specimens of whatever objects of natural 

 •history they undertake to study. If the characters are obscured by 

 dirt, or obliterated by decay and erosion, you have no right to com- 

 plain if those of better tastes in these matters, and of more industry, 

 reject, as worthless, these evidences of your want either of one or both 

 of these requisites; but if you faithfully follow the suggestions here 

 made, there will be no complaint that you lack either. 



ZOOLOGICAL MISCELLANY.* 



In our last issue we announced the establishment of a new depart- 

 ment of the Journal, under the above title, with a view to furnishing 

 a place of permanent record for the original observations of Ohio Val- 

 ley Zoologists. 



We again invite attention to the fact that these pages are open to 

 contributions in an}' and all branches of Zoology, and trust that our 

 working naturalists will avail themselves of the opportunity thus 

 offered for an interchange of views and personal experiences, which 

 will tend toward the advancement of Zoological science. 



We print in this issue an interesting account of a raid by an army 

 of red ants on a colony of the black species, observed by Mr. C. G. 



* Edited by Dr. F. W. Langdon. 



