142 
to penetrate through the skin to those areas. Injection also serves to fill out 
the body in a natural shape. Over injecting, so that the body is unduly 
distended or bloated, should be avoided. 
Fixing. After injection, specimens should be placed in a shallow tray or 
glass jar. Put at least enough formalin in the container to more than cover 
all individuals. Specimens should not be crowded in containers, especially 
at this stage. As specimens soon become hard and inflexible after a few 
hours in formalin, it is important at this time to arrange them in the desired 
positions. Snakes should be coiled in an oval shape ; lizards and salamanders 
should be placed straight (although in large specimens the tail may be bent 
back along the body) ; frogs should be placed with hind legs folded at sides in 
a natural resting position; and turtles should have the head and neck, legs and 
tail extended from the body by the injection of formalin. For larger speci- 
mens such as turtles and some snakes that will not fit available glass con- 
tainers, earthen crocks with tight-fitting lids, rust-proof metal containers, or 
metal containers lined with a bag of tough plastic may be used. 
Checking. After 24 hours, a specimen should be rigid and without a soft 
or discoloured spot. Such a spot indicates spoilage, and if present, a cut 
should be made through it and extended a short distance to either side. 
Storage. After 24 hours the original preservative should be poured off 
and discarded, and a fresh solution of 10 per cent formalin should be added. 
Specimens may be stored in any type of wide-mouthed glass jars which have 
tight-fitting lids. If specimens are to be stored in formalin for more than a 
few weeks, one level teaspoon of borax should be added for each half gallon of 
10 per cent formalin to buffer the solution, as formalin will form small quanti- 
ties of acid which will decalcify bones and soften specimens. Permanent 
storage in most museums is in 40 per cent isopropyl or 70 per cent ethyl 
alcohol, as formalin is irritating to work with. However, for private collec- 
tions, formalin has the advantage of being inexpensive. Specimens may be 
transferred to isopropyl or ethyl alcohol within a couple of weeks after the 
initial preserving. 
Large specimens. Large snakes and turtles present a problem, as suitable 
containers in which to preserve them may not be readily available. 
Snakes. As the head alone (if comparatively undamaged) can usually be 
identified to species, in extreme circumstances it alone may be saved, pre- 
served in formalin, as a record of a particular species occurrence in an area. 
Very large snakes may be skinned after the method of Etheridge (n.d.) : Make 
a single long cut in the belly, just to one side of the midline, beginning about 
an inch in front of the anus. Do not cut through the anal plate. Work the 
skin loose from the body but do not attempt to remove the skin from the head 
or tail. Sever the body from the head and tail and roll the attached head, 
body skin, and tail loosely together and place in 10 per cent formalin. 
Turtles. Large turtles may be opened by sawing through the bridge on 
each side which unites the carapace and the plastron (Figure 45). The neck 
should be severed, and the flesh removed from the legs, tail, neck, and head 
as far as possible, after which the whole specimen may be rubbed with borax 
or washed in water and submerged in brine to cure. MacMahon (1961) 
recommends freezing turtles which have started to decompose before cleaning 
the shells. 
Tadpoles, larvae, and eggs. Tadpoles, salamander larvae, and reptile and 
amphibian eggs may be preserved by placing them directly into 3 per cent 
