THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST ° 1 99 
used, and besides, in text-books, the large en gland 
is usually known as the mucus gland. 
It may here be mentioned that in Proc, Linn, Socy., 
New South Wales, 1915, p. 114, there is an illustrated paper 
by the present writer describing the feeding tracks of Lima.r. 
maximus. 
PRESERVATION OF NATURAL HISTORY 
SPECIMENS. 
By Thos. Steel, F.L.8. 
Many natural history specimens belonging to a wide 
range can be admirably preserved in a dry state with sur- 
prisingly little distortion through shrinkage, by merely 
soaking for a sufficient time in dilute formaline and hanging 
up to dry. In this way I have quite satisfactorily treated 
snakes, lizards, molluscs such as chitons, also birds and 
small mammals. If a little strong farmaline is injected by 
means of a glass syringe or a piece of glass tubing into the - 
anus and down the throat of the vertebrates, it will assist 
in the thoroughness of the treatment. The whole object is 
then submerged completely in plenty of dilute formaline, 
about 3 or 4 per cent. (say, 114 fluid ounce strong forma- — 
line to 1 quart water), and left to soak for about a month. 
It is then taken out and hung up or laid aside to dry. If 
desired, the specimen can be set or tied in any desired 
attitude before soaking. 
RECENT LITERATURE, 
TRAP-DOOR SpipeRS.—A recent number (XIIL, No. 7) 
of the Records, Australian Musewm, is devoted to an account 
of Australian Trap-door Spiders, by Mr. Rainbow and Dr. 
Pulleine. In this paper there is brought together a quan- 
tity of most interesting information on a ‘subject about 
“which few of us are well informed. The paper is a valuable 
one, and contains descriptions of numerous hitherto un- 
described spiders belonging to the group dealt with. It 
is illustrated with plates of the spiders and their nests. 
The plates, from photographs, taken by Dr. Pulleine, of the - 
nests, are excellent, but one at least of those illustrating _ 
the spiders themselves, taken from spirit specimens, might 
have been dispensed with. Particularly interesting are the 
notes on the habits of the animals, and more information. 
