254 
M. JO SI A H ROBERTS. 
What kind of specimens should be collected, has been sufficiently considered 
for the purpose of tins paper, under the head of “ What Should a Medical Museum 
Contain ?” ( Vide p. 16.) 
One great error of which nearly all collectors are guilty, namely, that of pro¬ 
curing a large number of rare and extraordinary specimens, while from the abund¬ 
ance of the common and practically useful specimens only a meagre supply is 
taken, should be carefully avoided, especially while a museum is in its infancy. 
How many specimens of a kind is it desirable to have ? Certainly more than 
one. I would suggest that a dozen or more be procured when convenient. 
Why t Because they are capital, which may be held in reserve to be used when 
occasion requires. 
Duplicates are a medium of exchange the world over; they represent value- 
money value and scientific value. (32.) 
“The first specimen procured, however imperfect, should be preserved, at 
least until a better can be obtained.” (Prof. Baird, 31.) 
Labeling , note-taking and book-keeping. This is an exceedingly important 
part of the labor of collecting specimens, and upon its being executed with intel¬ 
ligence and conscientiousness , depends very largely the value of the objects col¬ 
lected. 
Referring to the labeling of specimens, Dr. Coues remarks : 
“ It is enough to make a sensitive ornithologist shiver to see a specimen with¬ 
out the indispensable appendage— a label.” (32, 46.) 
Note-taking should never be neglected, and it is that part of a collector’s 
duty which should be performed at once after a specimen has come into his pos¬ 
session. Never trust to your memory one moment , but reced'd your observation on 
the spot , was the lesson taught me by my friend and teacher, Prof. Wilder. 
Every specimen should be labelled with at least name, date and number, and 
corresponding to this number, in a book kept by the curator, should be a com¬ 
plete history of the specimen, as far as it is possible to obtain it, and in addition 
to this the donor’s name, and notice, if any, which the specimen has received at 
medical societies or in medical or other journals. 
An accessible card list of all the specimens in the museum, arranged alpha¬ 
betically in boxes after the plan used in Astor Library and other large libraries, 
would be very convenient both to the curator and those who wished to consult 
particular specimens. 
Of all the duties which a curator seems most willing to shirk, is that of prop¬ 
erly cataloging the specimens under his charge. Identification of each object be¬ 
yond the possibility of mistaking one specimen for another, and permanently 
recording the same is so important that too much stress cannot be placed upon it. 
Much more might be said with profit under this heading, but I must be 
content for the present, at least, with the above suggestions. 
IX . — Preservation of Specimens. 
Although the art or practice of embalming the dead is one of great antiquity, 
little was done previous to the latter part of the last century in the way of real 
advancement in taxidermy, which term means the preservation of natural history 
objects. 
The collection of objects of various kinds which please us is a natural instinct, 
and one which is possessed and indulged in more or less by nearly every human 
