November i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
345 
COLOMBO MUSEUM. 
Inteeestino Selections pbom Report of the 
director of tub colombo museum for 1887. 
CONDITION of the collection. 
I mentioned in my lust report the great difficulties 
I was then experiencing in preserving the Entomo- 
logical collection from the attacks of fungus. 1 find 
that sponges soaked in citronella oil and placed in 
the cases answer better than anything yet tried. 
As an example of the difficulty in destroying both 
mites and fungus, 1 may mention that in one in- 
stance in which a solution of creosote and benzine 
was poured upon the sponges, it was quite impossible 
to stand over the case, when opened, for some months 
afterwards, tho wood work being apparently saturated 
with the fumes of creosote; yet not the slightest 
perceptible effect appeared to be produced either on 
the mites or fungus. The treatment at present 
adopted is as follows : — 
1. — Every insect is bathed in benzine on being re- 
moved from tho setting board. 
!!• — If attacked by mites at any time the bath is 
repeated. 
. III.— If, fungus appears, it is touched with a solu- 
tion of carbolic aciu in benzine. 
IV.— Sponges soaked in tho best citronella oil 
procurable are kept in the cases. 
If theso precautions are adopted, insects gradually 
become proof agaiust attack. There are some speci- 
mens in tho collection between fifteen and twenty 
years, and many ten years old, which have been 
treated this way, and now give no trouble. 
I attribute the virulent attack of fungus last year 
to the use of napthaline, which, although largely 
employed in European Museums, certainly tends to 
keen the iusocts damp in tbia climate. In the other 
zoological cases and in the cases in tho Ceylon 
Products Room it is, however, used with good effect. 
ON collecting natdbal HISTORY specimens. 
A great improvement has been made this year in 
transporting Lin- insects collected. Ordinary tobacco 
or butter tins have a layer of napthaline placed 
at tho bottom, and over that a layer of cotton 
wool; tho tin is then filled with alternate layers 
of insects and wool. Packed in this way they keep 
perfectly relaxed for a fortnight or three weeks, 
and can be posted to Colombo from any part of 
the Island. 1 hey can then be looked through, sorted, 
and sot at leisure. This plan effects a groat 
saving iu transport, as it is no longer necessary 
to carry insect, boxes, and sotting boards ; and it also 
enables any one who is willing to collect for the 
Museum to do so with vory little trouble and no ex- 
penM. I (thai I also be able tj establish stations about 
the Island, from which insects can be received from 
mouth to month, and thus some light bo thrown on 
their distribution and natural history. Unfortunately, 
the reduction of the transport vote has prevented 
this idea being carried out during the past year. 
With regard to the marine fauna, my experiences 
during the last few years have lead me entirely to 
abandon any more attempt at using the dredge as 
employed by Naturalists iu Europe, the Ceylon boat 
being quito uusuited to the woik. I experimented 
at Pimaduro with a Naturalist's dredge, reduced to 
one-half the size with lighter arms and the scrapers 
mad., perfectly Hat— o form lately adopted by Professor 
AgusM/. in dredging in the Culf of Mexico. This 
UfWered much better. Hut in consequence of tho 
regno tion of the traugport vote, my opportunities for 
trying it were very limited. 1 also experimented 
with tho Negombo trawl, which attracted my atten- 
tion when stationed at Negombo some years ago. 
I iilortunately, I liud that to make it work properly 
H ti quires a largo Negombo beat and crew. Next year I 
PIOPOWI trjing the Eupleotolla dredge used iu l'iji, and 
also a compound dredge and tr.t w I of my own desigu. 
nkw Mi;riK)i> <n Min-sriNii nati it.vi. iiisiouy omri i-. 
1 have introduced a few alterations iu mounting 
spec imens. Sm ill insects are mounted on glass cirolcH 
by a proeoss invented by Mr. Staniforth ( !r. m>, and 
wliou nooes-.ary u druwiue; of tho specimen, sufficiently 
enlarge to show its character, is placed beside it. A 
number of small insects prepared in this way are now 
ready for exhibition ; and a small collection of beetles 
accompanied by drawings has boeu purchased. There 
has been great difficulty in supporting the small glass 
circles on which the insects are mounted, all the cements 
used to fix them to the pieces of cardboard through 
which the pins are iuserted having failed ; Mr. E. E. 
Green has, however, invented a very simple spring clip, 
which has overcome the difficulty. 
A supply of new bottles from Germuny having been 
received, I have commenced remounting the collection 
of reptiles. A flat sheet of glass is placed across the 
bottlo backed with cotton wool, which presses the 
objects against the glass, so that although the bottles 
are rouud, the specimens have all the appearance of 
being in flat bottles agaiust a white ground, and they 
occupy a very much smaller space. 
A collection of spiders, centipedes, and scorpions is 
now being prepared. They are mounted in wooden 
cells lined with cotton wool. In this way the almost 
insuperable difficulties of cementing the glass covers 
is overcome, the objects are kept firmly in position; 
and although air bubbles cannot be entirely avoided, 
they are of little importance ; the animals als^ are 
always available for inspection and are well shown 
against the background of cotton wool. The same 
method can of course be applied to all marine forms, 
and I hope, next year to have all our star fish, echino- 
derms, and custatea exhibited in this way. A back- 
ground of glass wool has a much better effect thau 
cotton wool, but its price is prohibitory. 
ON THE NEW METHOD OF PRESERVING SPECIMENS IN 
SUM AND GLYCERINE. 
I detailed at full length iu my last report tho new 
method of preserving fish and many kinds of inver- 
tebrates by gum and glycerine, but I also stated that 
its use was limited on account of its excessive de- 
hydiating effect, and also from the cost of the gly- 
cerine for mounting. I had tried from the first to 
overcome these difficulties by weakening the mixture, 
but with the result that if spirit or salt solutions were 
employed, the gum was precipitated, and if water was 
used a thick crop of fungus sprung up in a few hours. 
I found that even a mixture of glycerine and syrup of 
the same specific gravity grew fungus quite as rapidly 
as glycerine and water alone. The great rise in the 
price of glycerine during the past year rendered it 
impossible to exhibit any more specimens in this me- 
dium, to my great disappointment, as 1 found that on 
comparing fish that had been mounted for the last 
three years with fresh specimens of the same species, 
that no loss of colour could be detected. Tho pre- 
servation of tho colour is owing entirely to the gam, 
for if a prepared specimen is taken and placed iu 
any solution which precipitates the gum, the colour 
is quickly lost- 
Darwin relates that ho was fond of trying lmbo- 
cile experiments, and, notwithstanding the teaching 
of chemistry and his own experience that solutions ot 
gum will not mix with alcohol, I determined to try 
onco more whether weak spirits could not be iutroduoed 
in sufficient quantity to prevent the growth of 
fungus. The result of tho experiment was, that I found 
that solutions of gum and glycerine are niisciblo with 
spirit iu all proportions necessary for my purpose. It 
had never occurred to me to stir the precipitated gum 
which re-dissolves readily, and hence my previous 
failures. I can uow obtain mixtures of any specific 
gravity necessary, and I am preparing snakes ana frogs 
as quickly as I can procure them to take the places of 
the old spirit specimens. 
Tho solution used for mounting specimens prepared 
iu this way is syrup roducod to the necessary specifio 
gravity by proof spirit. I cannot say whether the 
colours will bust as long as they do iu glycerine, as I 
have only had six mouths' experience ; but so far the 
effect is the same. Budge's solution, w hich is said to 
be quite a perfect preservative, aud the celebrated 
solution of WickersheinuT, for which tho Prussian Go- 
vernment gave a largo sum of money, have both been 
tried without Mieee-s. S,-ri water saturated with bichro- 
mate of potash 1ms been found excellent lor hardening 
jelly-fish. • • * 
