ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
133 
(2) Preparing- Objects. 
Methods for the Preservation of Marine Organisms employed at 
the Naples Zoological Station.* — Prof. Playfair McMurrich writes, 
“ Unfortunately for our students, especially those living inland and 
depending largely for their knowledge of marine forms upon dried or 
preserved specimens in museums, the old-fashioned methods of throwing 
any material which the collector may find into a jar of alcohol without 
further attention, or else drying it in the sun, are still almost the only 
ones made use of for the preservation of museum specimens. The result 
is that the majority of forms which the student has for study are either 
dried skeletons, or shrivelled up monstrosities giving no idea whatever 
of the actual appearance of the creatures supposed to be represented by 
them. How many college museums possess a specimen of coral showing 
in any recognizable form the polyps by which the skeleton coral was 
formed? Or how many have even a satisfactorily prepared Lamelli- 
branch ? 
There are, however, in this country, a few collections which show a 
marvellous improvement in their manner of preparation, and which have 
been purchased from the Naples Zoological Station, whose conservator, 
Salvator Lo Bianco, has for several years been devoting himself to the 
discovery of the best methods for the preservation of the form and 
colour of the marine animals occurring in the Mediterranean. Until 
the present, however, his discoveries have not been made common 
property, except in the few cases where most successful methods for 
preserving certain forms have been published in connection with accounts 
of their structure. The last number of the Naples ‘ Mittheilungen/f 
however, contains a full description, by Lo Bianco, of the methods 
found most successful for the preservation of the various forms which 
occur at Naples, and which are undoubtedly applicable to the similar 
forms found upon our own coast. An abstract of these methods is given 
in the following pages, in the hope that they may be found useful by 
the museum curators of this country, and that their application may 
result in the much-needed improvement of the appearance of the 
specimens found in the majority of the college museums. 
It must be fully understood, however, that much depends upon the 
skill of the preparator, and that want of care and patience will 
frequently counteract all the advantages to be derived from a good 
method. All who have had the opportunity of examining specimens 
prepared by Lo Bianco can appreciate readily the great advantages 
which may result from the careful application of his methods, and can 
perceive how greatly we are indebted to him and to Prof. Dohrn for 
their publication. 
Alcohol is, of course, indispensable as preservative fluid, but certain 
precautions are necessary in its use. Except in a very few cases it is 
unnecessary to use it in its full strength, 70 per cent, being quite sufficient 
for preservation, and producing much less contraction and fragility in 
delicate organisms. Strong alcohol should be reduced with distilled 
water to the desired strength, ordinary spring water frequently contain- 
* Amer. Natural., xxiv. (1890) pp. 856-65. 
t See Mittheil. Zool. Stat. Neapel, ix. (1890) pp. 485-74. 
