A FEW HINTS UPON COLLECTING OBJECTS 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
BY 
Me. H. WHITELY, 
CURATOR OB THE MUSEUM, ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION, WOOLWICH. 
Doubtless there are many members of the Institution who would 
gladly contribute to the collection of Natural History, did they but know 
what to collect, and how to preserve the specimens when collected. The 
following brief remarks are published with the view of assisting the 
student, and to facilitate the classification. 
Commencing with mammals :—Skulls of all the larger species would 
be of great interest, want of space making it undesirable that the skin of 
the whole animal should be sent; the smaller species—such as bats, rats, 
mice, moles, &c.—may be either skinned or preserved entire in large 
bottles, or small wooden kegs; any kind of spirits* will do to preserve 
them in, and if of ordinary strength may be diluted with one-fifth of 
water, unless it is necessary to crowd the specimens; when such is the 
case, the water must be omitted. 
It will add greatly to the perfect preservation of the specimens during 
transportation, if each one is wrapped up in cloth or paper. In packing, 
place all the larger specimens at the bottom, and if there are any very 
delicate ones, they must be separated by means of some immovable 
partition to prevent any damage being done to them in case the vessel 
should be inverted; great care must also be taken, before the final 
closing of the vessel, that it is perfectly full. 
All specimens should have an incision made in the abdomen to admit 
the spirits; if several of a kind are preserved, the intestines of some 
may be entirely removed to insure their perfect preservation. 
The best plan of capturing the smaller animals, such as rats, mice, &c., 
is by means of the common rat and mouse traps; those caught alive in 
traps will be found the best. The traps can be baited with fish, corn, 
fruit; toasted cheese will always be found a most attractive bait. By 
this means many animals will be taken that were previously unknown 
in the locality; for many of them being nocturnal in their habits may 
have escaped observation. 
* It is advisable to add a little tartar emetic, as cases have arrived at the Institution from which 
the spirits had been abstracted, and consequently the specimens were completely destroyed. 
1 
