SPIDERS : THEIR COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION. 49 
When you reach home with your arachnid a at the close of a 
good days’ collection and observation , the specimens should he 
killed at once, for many of the species soon die and shrivel up 
in captivity, and indeed the arid desolateness of a chip box is not 
conducive to the prolongation of life. They are to be killed 
then, and in the prosecution of our fell design we may use boiling- 
water or spirits. These are the two most favourable methods 
and both are satisfactory and give no cause to look around for 
others with more recommendations. 
If they are killed in water, they must be taken out and placed 
in weak spirits afterwards ; weak whisky or rum will do. In 
this they must be left for a few days to become thoroughly 
impregnated, after which, they can be taken out and placed in 
small tubes filled with colourless whiskey, corked and sealed, and 
the name attached. A preferable plan is to mount each one on 
a slip of card with gum (not a spirit one) and write on the same 
card the name of the attached spider. This can then be 
immersed altogether in a tube filled with whiskey, corked and 
thoroughly sealed as before. Different sized tubes will be 
required as the spiders of the various genera, vary in their pro¬ 
portions. It should be so arranged in purchasing that the tubes 
will be multiples of each other; this will enable an economiza¬ 
tion of room and general neatness of the cabinet, or whatever is 
used. The tubes may be stored in racked trays, so that a glance 
will comprehend a whole genus, or they may be kept in a per¬ 
pendicular position, like pipes in a rack. If properly sealed, I 
advocate the former method, it having the greater educational 
advantages, besides presenting a greater attraction to “ outsiders ” 
who are being shown over the “ insecks.” 
Instead of spirits some recommend turpentine ; not having 
consistently used this I cannot speak upon its merits or demerits, 
but specimens preserved in the afore mentioned manner will keep 
colourand rotundity for years. I accidentally stumbled across a rather 
novel method of preserving spiders some time ago. I happened 
to set fire to a large Argyrontea which was thoroughly saturated 
with spirits. Instead of the specimen being irrecoverably spoilt, 
it was bettered. It had been doubled up in the tube, its legs I 
mean, and had permanently become rigid in that position. On 
being set fire to the legs were protruded into a natural position 
without being in the least burnt; I blew the flame out, and the 
result was the most natural spider I had in my cabinet. I tried 
it again, but it is rather too risky to be recommended, especially 
to tyros, who always get rare specimens. Its a way they have. 
In conclusion, I take the opportunity of stating emphatically, 
that a journal should be kept for record, and every little observa¬ 
tion, however simple it may appear at the time, be recorded in 
its proper place, you will no doubt be surprised sometime to see 
what light such records throw on questions seemingly unanswerable 
