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BORAX  IN  CALIFORNIA.  235 
A.  I.  or  IT,  or  an  incision  may  be  made  in  one  side  of  the  abdo- 
men in  vertebrates,  or  under  the  carapex  of  crabs,  &c,  to  admit 
the  fluids  more  freely.  In  preserving  the  animals  of  large 
univalve  shells  an  opening  should  be  made  through  the  shell  at 
or  near  the  tip  of  the  spire.  Mammals,  birds  and  reptiles, 
should  be  placed  first  in  solution  B.  II.  to  obtain  the  best  results. 
In  cases  where  the  use  of  the  B.  fluids  would  be  objectionable,  on 
account  of  their  highly  poisonous  nature,  a  fourth  dilution  of 
solution  A.  I,  corresponding  in  strength  with  B.  I,  but  without 
the  arseniate  of  potassa,  may  be  substituted,  and  in  many  cases 
will  do  nearly  as  well,  if  the  whether  be  not  very  hot,  but  the 
specimens  in  this  case  should  be  carefully  watched  and  transferred 
to  the  stronger  solutions  as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to  avoid  incipi- 
ent decomposition  while  in  the  first  fluids. — Sillimans  Journal. 
New  Haven,  Feb.  12,  1866. 
ON  BORAX  IN  CALIFORNIA. 
By  Prof.  J.  D.  Whitney. 
Some  explorations  have  been  made  around  the  lower  end  of 
Clear  Lake,  more  -particularly  for  the  purpose  of  getting  an 
idea  of  the  very  interesting  locality  of  borax,  which  is  found  in 
this  region. 
Clear  Lake  is  about  sixty-five  miles  north-west  of  Suisun  Bay, 
and  about  thirty-six  miles  from  the  Pacific.  It  is  believed  to  be 
about  twenty-five  miles  long,  but  has  never  been  surveyed,  so 
that  its  shape  and  size  are  not  accurately  known.    *    *    *  . 
At  the  angle  where  the  narrow  part  of  the  lake  opens  out  to 
the  west  is  a  high  mountain,  which  comes  down  with  a  precipitous 
front  to  the  water,  and  which  is  supposed  to  be  about  2,500  feet 
above  the  lake  level.  It  is  called  the  "  Uncle  Sam  Mountain," 
and,  as  seen  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake,  it  appears  to  be 
made  up  of  a  closely-folded  synclinal  mass,  probably  of  some- 
what metamorphic  Cretaceous  sandstones.  On  the  south-west 
side,  and  to  the  south-east,  volcanic  materials  and  rocks  occupy 
the  surface,  as  is  well  seen  in  a  crater-like  depression  on  the 
south-west  side  of  the  narrow  arm  of  the  lake,  called  "  Thurston's 
Lake,"  which  is  partly  covered  by  water,  and  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  high  cliffs  of  volcanic  rocks,  appearing  as  if  it  might 
