15 
Borax has not yet been shown to have any deleterious effect on the hairs 
of blackish or greyish colour, and its most injurious effects are shown 
when it comes in contact with damp fur of brown, reddish, or fawn shades. 
By far the greatest proportion of skins preserved are taken for scientific 
study purposes and do not need to be relaxed and made over. Borax is 
not an insect repellent, and as a well-cleaned skin really needs much less 
preservative than is generally used, and flat or cased skins will dry in the 
air without chemical aid, it seems desirable to put on less preservative on 
most skins. It does not penetrate the skin to any great extent, and if it 
seems necessary to make over a skin, it should be softened from the inside, 
and the preservative be kept as much as possible from contact with damp 
fur and feathers. 
Although all the preservatives mentioned have some good qualities 
to recommend them, it is by no means necessary for the collector to keep 
a large variety of chemicals on hand. Most of the preservatives may be 
obtained in the ordinary chemist’s shop or grocery, and the experienced 
collector will ultimately select the preservative that best suits his needs. 
It is, however, best for the collector to know as many as possible of the 
approved methods and preservatives, as he is apt to have occasion to pre- 
pare specimens at places where his favourite recipes are not available. All 
the preservatives listed are comparatively inexpensive, amounting to less 
than one-tenth of a cent for the average small specimen. Economy in use 
has, therefore, little to do with the initial cost, but is concerned chiefly with 
making supplies last through a long field trip on which they cannot be 
replenished. A workman or an artist may not be able to produce a prize 
specimen of handiwork without good tools of his trade, but an enthusiastic 
collector soon comes to realize that certain specimens have a great scientific 
value and must be preserved when they come to hand, even under the 
most discouraging circumstances. A competent field collector should be 
able to prepare anything from a field mouse to a moose with nothing but a 
jack-knife, if necessary. 
Fumigation 
When specimens are put away it is well to fumigate the inside of the 
case or box freely with naphthaline flakes or moth-balls. Paracide (paradi- 
chlorobenzene) flakes have similar insect-repelling qualities and though 
neither will kill insect larvae in a skin that is actually infested they will 
generally discourage insects from entering. The efficacy of either depends 
largely on the tightness of the container, and cracks may be sealed by 
pasting strips of paper over them. Specimens may also be sealed up in 
strong paper bags or tied in fine cloth bags. 
Stone brimstone (sulphur) broken into lumps and scattered in drawers 
or boxes where furs and woollen articles are stored, is said to be a good 
preventive against moths and has the advantage of being odourless. Like 
naphthaline, it cannot be considered a sure protection against insect pests, 
but w’ill probably discourage them from entering fairly tight containers. 
Where skins are actually infested with insect pests, carbon disulphide 
(bisulphide of carbon, CS2) has been in general use as a disinfectant, as 
it is very volatile and the gas is heavier than air and works down through 
the specimens. As the gas does not always kill the eggs, the treatment 
should be repeated after an interval of a week or two to kill any larvae that 
