AND PRESERVING FOSSILS. 
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The fossil ought to be first carefully uncovered as it lies in the rock. 
Then thin paper may be gently pressed over, covering the whole, and 
as far as possible filling every crevice. Next, plaster of Paris must 
be poured over this prepared face, and allowed to harden in a moder- 
ately thick layer. Finally, the specimen may be excavated and 
transported as a slab, the plaster covering serving as an adequate 
support. N.B. — If paper be not used, the plaster cannot be readily 
removed from the fossil, and may completely damage it. 
Strips of wood, or thin iron rods, fixed down to the specimen by 
plaster of Paris and string, may be used, to give rigidity to friable 
or heavy specimens in lifting them from the quarry to a waggon for 
transport. 
3. Some large specimens — e.g. bones in Pleistocene deposits — need 
to be hardened before removal from the matrix. This can be done 
by uncovering the upper face of the fossil, and pouring slowly upon 
it a warm, weak solution of gelatine or glue, or the preparation 
known in commerce as " soluble glass." Then, after adequate time 
for drying, proceed as above (No. 2). 
4. Bones which are only moderately delicate can be transported 
"best swathed in long strips of linen or calico (like the Egyptian 
mummies), and, after wrapping, this may be hardened by the copious 
application of ordinary flour paste ; or the strips may be dipped in 
flour paste before winding them round the bones. Melted paraffin 
wax is sometimes found useful to hold together fragile specimens. 
5. In cases where the specimen, from either its size or condition, 
must be got out in pieces, or in the case of a skeleton in separate 
bones, each part of such bone, or of such more or less entire skeleton, 
should be carefully marked with a number corresponding to one on 
the adjoining part, and also with that on a rough sketch in the 
traveller's note-book. Red or white paint (carried in a tube) can 
also be used to mark the connecting-points in a skeleton or in the 
parts of a single bone. 
Preparation of Fossils. 
1. All friable fossils, such as shells in Tertiary or recent clays, 
need immediate attention. They may be slowly dried in the sun or 
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