SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 
 
 UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
 
 DIRECTIONS FOR COLLECTING REPTILES AND 
 
 BATRACHIANS. 
 
 LEONHARD STEJNEGER, 
 
 Curator of the Departvient o/ Reptiles and BatracJiians. 
 
 Part E of Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 39. 
 
 WASHINGTON : 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
 
 1891. 
 
DIRECTIONS FOR COLLECTING REPTILES AND BATRACHIAXS 
 
 By Leonhard Stejneger, 
 
 Curator of the Department of Reptiles and Batrachians. 
 
 IXTRODTTOTOKY NOTE. 
 
 The following directions are prepared for the use of collectors who, 
 without being herpetological experts, desire to procure for the Museum 
 specimens of the reptiles and batrachians which they may be able tp 
 gather in the neighborhood of their residence’ or while traveling. 
 Persons who devote themselves to collecting these animals exclusively 
 are but rarely met with, but there are numerous collectors of other 
 objects of natural history who would be willing to preserve the reptiles 
 and batrachians, if they only knew how to do it in the easiest and most 
 satisfactory way. Such persons have usually very limited space and 
 time to dev^ote to this branch of zoology, a circumstance which has 
 been taken into consideration in preparing these directions. 
 
 The herpetological specialist will know how to collect better than 1 
 can tell him, and the scientific explorer who goes into distant lands far 
 from communication with the civilized world, with a large outfit and 
 for a protracted period, will need special instructions and extensive 
 apparatus (soldering outfit, distilling apparatus, etc.), which can be 
 more advantageously prepared in each individual case. 
 
 APPARATUS. 
 
 The following articles are more or less necessary for successfully col¬ 
 lecting reptiles and batrachians, though many of them are not exclu¬ 
 sively used for this purpose. By checking off on this list before start¬ 
 ing the collector may at once know whether he has suiTpiied himself 
 with the essential means of collecting. 
 
 1. Gun with auxiliary barrel, or collecting pistol (see Directions for 
 Collecting Birds, pp. 7-9). 
 
 2. Dip net. 
 
 3. Fishhooks and tackle. 
 
 4. A pair of stout leather gloves. 
 
 5. Bags of cotton cloth, or cheese cloth (see page 9). 
 
 6. Fishing basket, or botanical collecting box of tin. 
 
 [3] 
 
BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [ 4 ] 
 
 7. Collecting can with straj^. The one-gallon copper can (described 
 under the following number) with two loops fastened on top for the 
 insertion of the strap will do good service. 
 
 8. Chest of tanks filled with alcohol. A very compact and handy 
 outfit is figured in the appended cut (fig. 1). It consists of two co})per 
 tanks and a tin case inclosed in a wooden box. The latter is made of 
 half-inch boards and measures outside, exclusive of strips, length 13, 
 width 12, height 0^ inches. The hinges are fastened on the inside, and 
 there is a handle on the top of the lid for carrying. It is locked by 
 means of a brass padlock. The larger tank measures, outside, inches 
 
 Tig. 1.—Chest of tanks. 
 
 long, 6f inches wide, and 7f inches high, and holds about 2 gallons of 
 alcohol; the smaller holds a little less than a gallon, with the follow¬ 
 ing measurements: length 8|, width 3J, and height 8| inches. Both 
 have brass screw tops with rubber packing, the larger with an opening 
 4^ inches in diameter, the smaller inches. To lilt them out of the 
 box the larger has two handles on top, the smaller one on the side. 
 The tin box has the following dimensions: Length 9J, width 8|, height 
 2§ inches, and should also have a handle. In the box is room enough 
 for the hypodermic syringe, forcei)S, notebook, writing materials, labels, 
 cheese cloth for wrapping, bags, cotton, etc. The whole outfit when 
 filled weighs only 40 pounds. 
 
[5] COLLECTING REPTILES AND BATRACIIIANS-STEJNEGER. 
 
 It is always the best policy to use the best quality of alcohol, but 
 when this cannot be had, methylated alcohol will do for teinx)orary use, 
 at least. Even native whiskies, brandy, or other alcoholic liquids may 
 be used in cases of necessity, if of sufficient strength. As a practical 
 test for ascertaining this point, it may be said that an alcoholic liquid 
 will preserve the specimens as long as it can be ignited without first 
 being heated. 
 
 9. Iron bar or “key” for unscrewing to}) of tanks. 
 
 10. One pair of Bond’s i^lacental forceps, 12 inches long 
 (see fig. 2). Invaluable in the field both for jncking up 
 si)ecimens and for handling the alcoholics. In t!ie field 
 it may be carried conveniently by the side like a sword. 
 
 I found one of the buttonholes of my suspenders quite the 
 thing for this purpose. Price, about $2.50. 
 
 11. Long spring forceps, not less than 8 inches long, for 
 handling alcoholics (same kind as described in Directions 
 for Collecting Birds, p. 11, fig. 8). 
 
 12. Hypodermic syringe with needle i)oint for injecting (q 
 alcohol into specimens (see fig. 3). Its caj^acity should 
 not be less than 00 minims. A syringe similar to the one 
 figured, in neat case, can be had for about $3. Those in 
 nickel-plated metal case (the “Phenix,” for instance) are 
 to be i^referred. 
 
 13. Stringed labels (see fig. 5, page 10). 
 
 14. Cheese cloth for wrai^ifing. Use only white cloth 
 for wrapping as any dye is sure to be extracted by the 
 alcohol, discoloring the specimens. 
 
 15. Knife, or scalj^el, and a pair of pointed scissors (see 
 Directions for Collecting Birds, px^. 9-10). 
 
 10. Fine metal thread, twine, and cotton thread. 
 
 17. Note-book. 
 
 18. Ridgway’s “Nomenclature of Colors” (seex>age 9). 
 
 19. Adhesive shipxfing labels (see page 13). 
 
 Fi 
 
 G. 2. — Bond’s 
 Forceps. 
 
 Fig. 3.—Hypodermic Syringe, three-quarter natural size. 
 
BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [6] 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 1 wish to impress upon the collector that one well-labeled and well- 
 preserved specimen is worth more than ten mutilated or half decom¬ 
 posed specimens without labels. A man who is not willing to take 
 the trouble of properly labeling his specimens need not go to the 
 trouble of collecting them, for in our days specimens without data as 
 to the exact locality, at least, are not worth the alcohol they are kept in. 
 Follow, therefore, explicitly the directions relating to labeling given 
 further on. 
 
 In any given locality try to collect specimens of all the species 
 occurring there, no matter whether they are common or not, and in¬ 
 variably i^reserve the first specimen of any species whether bad or 
 good. But do not be satisfied with one specimen of each kind ; if they 
 are not too large try to get at least six specimens, and, if any kind 
 shows great individual variation or you happen to know that it is a 
 rare species in collections, two dozen are not too man^^ 
 
 As a general rule the largest and most conspicuous species are the 
 least interesting. Small and insignificant forms of secluded habits, 
 particularly those living in holes or burrows in the ground, are most 
 likely to be novelties or great desiderata of our museum. 
 
 If you can not, for one reason or another, i)reserve all the speci¬ 
 mens you are able to procure, make your selection of individuals in 
 the following way: Of the largest species select individuals of medium 
 and small size; of the smallest species take care to get most of the 
 largest specimens. Be sure that the individual variation exhibited 
 among the specimens caught is well represented in the series selected. 
 
 WHEN AND WHERE TO COLLECT. 
 
 While reptiles and batrachians may be found occasionally at any 
 season, spring is the time for systematic collecting, the beginning of 
 the collecting season depending of course upon the meteorologic con¬ 
 ditions. In a climate not too severe batrachians may be looked for 
 on the first mild days signaling the breaking up of winter, while the 
 reptiles, as a rule, require warmer weather to rouse them from their 
 hibernation. 
 
 The differences between these two classes manifest themselves not 
 only in their structure, but quite as much in their habits, and their 
 collecting is therefore essentially different. The batrachians, gener¬ 
 ally, prefer dark and damp places, and the best time for collecting 
 them is, therefore, very early in the morning or late evenings. Many 
 of them will be found in dense woods or swamps, among decaying 
 leaves, in old stumps, under fallen logs or stones, and in wet moss, 
 while the purely aquatic species have to be looked for in springs, 
 ponds, rivers, or lakes. 
 
[7] COLLECTING REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS-STEJNEGER. 
 
 Most of the reptiles, on the other baud, love the light aod the heat 
 of the sun, and usually no locality furnishes more species and speci¬ 
 mens than the hot and sandy desert or the snn-baked rocks on the 
 soutliern slopes of a mountainous country, though in the tropics the 
 dense forests abound with their own particular species. The aquatic rep. 
 tiles, chiefly snakes, will have to be lool^ed for in their own element. A 
 number of reptiles are more or less nocturnal in their habits, for in¬ 
 stance many of the poisonous snakes, and these may often be gathered 
 in numbers on warm moonlight nights. A fire or lantern may then be 
 used to advantage. They are also often found after a mild thunder 
 shower, as are likewise many of the inoftensive, particularly the bur¬ 
 rowing species. 
 
 The latter are usually the most interesting as well as the rarest 
 species in collections. Special care should therefore be taken to obtain 
 as many of them as possible, and the collector should always be on the 
 lookout whenever any digging of ditches or plowing of ground goes 
 on in his neighborhood. 
 
 In very warm and dry climates the best time for collecting reptiles is 
 just after the first summer rain. 
 
 SEOUKTNG SPECIMENS. 
 
 A good many reptiles and batrachians are easily enough secured by 
 simply picking them up with the hand. A quick grab with five or ten 
 fingers, as the case may be, will bring many others in the collectors 
 power, though sometimes he will find himself the possessor of only the 
 wriggling tail, while the rest and more important portion of the lizard 
 scampers away and disappears in the nearest crevice. But other ani¬ 
 mals are either too quick in their movements, or they are too shy, or 
 they live among the thorny cactus, or in the w^ater, and for these other 
 means of capture are to be devised. 
 
 The latter have either to be caught with line and hook, baited with raw 
 meat, as,certain turtles, or with a dip-net; but as to the others I know 
 of no better way to secure them than to shoot them with the .32 or .22 
 caliber auxiliary barrel or collecting pistol, or to catch them with a 
 slip-noose. 
 
 As to the arms mentioned I refer to what Mr. B. Ridgway has said 
 in the Directions for Collecting Birds, with the only addition that for 
 shooting reptiles I would not advise the use of ‘‘ wood” powder. I am 
 not thoroughly satisfied that this powder is reliable under all circum¬ 
 stances, and the greater noise of the black powder is of no consequence 
 in this kind of collecting. The latter fouls the gun more, but the 
 auxiliary barrel is so easily cleaned that but little is gained by using 
 
 wood” powder. 
 
 Specimens are often badly mutilated by shooting, but more specimens 
 are so easily obtained in this than in any other way, and the collector 
 can therefore make his selection for preservation from a greater num¬ 
 ber of specimens. 
 
BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [8] 
 
 During iny collecting trip in Arizona, in 1880, most of tlie lizards 
 obtained were shot, as well as all the frogs. The latter would sit 
 motionless along the border of tbe river, but as soon as they caught a 
 glimpse of my dip net they jumped into the creek and immediately dis¬ 
 appeared in its muddy waters, and not until I learned that a light 
 charge of Xo. 12 shot would cause them to turn their white bellies up 
 without even a kick did I secure a specimen. 
 
 Very often a snake or lizard, if caught alive, will turn upon its captor 
 and bite him furiously; but with the exception of the distinctly venomous 
 kinds their bite, even though it may draw blood, will cause no harm. A 
 stout leather glove is in such cases of great service. 
 
 The poisonous snakes, of course, require more care in handling. They 
 may either be shot, or if it is preferred to capture them alive, a long 
 stick bifurcated at the end may be used in pinning them to the ground 
 by placing the fork over their neck just behind the head. They are 
 also sometimes secured by spearing with a long stick, to the end of 
 which is fastened a stout fishhook straightened out. This instrument 
 may also be found useful in reaching s])ecimens which have taken 
 refuge in some otherwise inaccessible place. 
 
 Another method not uncommonly adopted by collectors is to slip a 
 noose over the head of the unsuspecting lizard or snake as illustrated 
 by fig. 4. Formerly a noose of horsehair was considered the best 
 
 thing for small animals, but Mr. Benedict, who has had a good deal of 
 experience in collecting reptiles when resident naturalist of the U. S. 
 Fish Commission steamer Albatross^ has demonstrated to me the sn])eri- 
 ority of fine annealed iron wire, such as is usually sold in hardware 
 
[9] COLLECTING REPTILES AND BATKACHIANS-STEJNEGER. 
 
 stores wound on spools. Various sizes, from Nos. 22 to 34, may be found 
 useful 5 the larger sizes might probably be quite as serviceable if of 
 copper. For larger snakes a noose of waxed twine will be found to 
 work well in many cases, and is to be recommended to persons who are 
 too nervous to grab a live snake with an unprotected hand. 
 
 The noose should be fastened to the end of a long stick, or a light 
 switch, as the case may require, and if a few leaves are left at the end 
 so much the better, as they will attract the reptile’s attention from the 
 noose. Slip the noose gently over its head and a* sharp jerk towards 
 the tail will usually put the prize in your possession. 
 
 The specimen as soon as secured should be immediately transferred 
 to one of the small cheese-cloth bags which the collector carries in his 
 pockets. A good supply of these bags of various sizes, from 2x4 inches 
 to4x 10 inches, each one with a string for tying it up, should be laid in 
 before starting, enough to average one bag for every three specimens. 
 A paper label with the exact locality written in lead pencil should be 
 slipped into the bag with the specimen. If the collector carries with 
 him a small glass or metal jar with alcohol the bag with the specimen 
 may be placed in it at once, if not it is put in the pocket or in whatever 
 receptacle the collector carries for that purpose. I have found a medium- 
 sized fishing basket or a botanical collecting box of tin to answer every 
 purpose. The live specimens are also put in bags, but are not trans¬ 
 ferred to alcohol until the day’s collecting is over. 
 
 Frogs, toads, and salamanders, when brought in alive, should be kept 
 moist by wetting the bag occasionally or wrapping it in wet moss. 
 
 TAKING CAEE OF THE SPECIMENS. 
 
 Having returned to his quarters the collector gets ready for “curing” 
 and labeling his specimens, attending first to those which were killed. 
 
 The blood should be washed off in water, and while the specimen is 
 soaking there is time for making the necessary entry in the notebook 
 and for preparing the label. 
 
 The entry in the notebook should contain (1) the running number of 
 the specimen ; (2) the exact locality where captured, besides county and 
 state; (3) if possible the altitude above sea; (4) the character of the soil 
 and vegetation where the specimen was found, whether on sand, among 
 rocks, under logs or stones, in holes, in a swamp, meadow, desert, forest 
 of pines or deciduous trees, among sagebrush, cactus, or any other obser¬ 
 vations of a like nature; (5) date of capture; (6) color description of 
 fresh specimen (it is not necessary to describe the pattern, as that is 
 usually preserved in alcohol, but the exact shade of the ground color 
 and of the markings should be carefully determined by actual compar¬ 
 ison witli the standards in Ridgway’s Nomenclature of Colors*); (7) local 
 vernacular name, if determinable with certainty ; (8) other remarks. 
 
 *ANomenclatureof Colors for Naturalists, etc., by Robert Ridgway. Boston : I.ittle, 
 Brown &. Co., 1886. 
 
BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
 
 I 
 
 From the entry in the notebook the label is now made up. The most 
 satisfactory label is made of first quality strong j^archment paper and 
 the writing should be done either with a No. 2 lead pencil or with good 
 fiuid India ink, care being taken in the latter case not to immerse the 
 label in alcohol until it is perfectly dry. It saves a good deal of work 
 to have the labels printed, cut, and stringed before starting on the trip; 
 the printing may to great advantage contain the general locality where 
 the collections are to be made (as for instance name of state or country) 
 as well as the name of the collector. In addition to the exact locality 
 and date the label should contain the collector’s running notebook 
 number. On the back may be written such additional information or 
 notes as may be deemed desirable. A label of good size and shape is 
 shown in the accompanying cut (fig. 5) which also indicates how to 
 string it. 
 
 Fig. 5.—Sample label; natural .size. 
 
 In tying the label on be careful not to fasten it tighter than necessary 
 to prevent the label from slipping off. Never tie a label round the neck 
 of a specimen; in lizards and salamanders fasten it round the body 
 just behind the fore leg; in frogs and toads in front of the hind legs; 
 in snakes round the body at about the anterior third; finally, in turtles 
 tie the string to one of the legs, and only in this case is it necessary and 
 permissible to draw it very tight. 
 
 Before finally placing the specimen in alcohol the preserving fluid 
 should be made to enter the body cavities, as the specimens are almost 
 sure to spoil if the alcohol is only allowed to act on the outside. To 
 IDrevent its decomposition from the inside I have found it most useful to 
 inject a quantity of strong alcohol by means of a hypodermic syringe. 
 The point of the latter is run down the throat and under the scales into 
 the alimentary canal, in one or more places according to size, and in 
 large specimens it will be found advantageous also to inject alcohol into 
 the larger muscles. In this way the appearance of the specimens is not 
 injured in the least and the preservation is i^erfect. If a syringe is not 
 at hand the abdominal cavity should be opened with a pair of pointed 
 
[11] COLLECTING REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS—STEJNEGER. 
 
 scissors to allow the fluid to enter; by this process snakes should be 
 cut open in several places along the middle of the under side across the 
 wide ventral plates, the so-called gastrosteges. Sliould a large lump 
 indicate that a snake contains food not yet digested, the belly should 
 be opened and the contents of the alimentary canal removed—or pre¬ 
 served separately, if desired. 
 
 Before placing turtles in alcohol head and feet should be drawn out 
 from the shell, the mouth should be opened, and a small piece of wood 
 placed between the jaws so as to prevent the mouth from closing. If 
 the mouths of lizards, snakes, salamanders, and frogs can be kept open 
 without injuring their teeth so much the better, as some of the most 
 important systematic characters are derived from the dentition and the 
 shape of the tongue, and it is very difficult to open the mouths of spec¬ 
 imens which have become hardened in alcohol. A wad of cotton or 
 paper may be found useful for this purpose. 
 
 The specimen is now ready to be placed in alcohol^ the only really 
 effective and reliable preserving fluid. When starting out the collector 
 should i^rovide himself with alcohol of about 95 per cent strength, but 
 he should not use alcohol of this strength. The full strength alcohol 
 should be kept in stock in the large tank, while the specimens them¬ 
 selves are kept in the smaller tank in alcohol of about 75 per cent. 
 But the best result will be obtained, if the collector has opportunity to 
 put his specimens in still weaker alcohol during the first 24 hours, so 
 as to allow the preservative fluid to penetrate the tissues thoroughly 
 before placing them in the 75 per cent alcohol. It should also be 
 remembered that this strength only applies to reptiles, as 50 to 60 per 
 cent alcohol will do better for batrachians, which are apt to shrivel up 
 entirely in too strong alcohol. 
 
 If the specimens can remain undisturbed in the same place for some 
 time no further i^recautions are necessary, but if the collector is travel¬ 
 ing all the time each specimen should be placed separately in one of 
 the cheese-cloth bags, so as to prevent it from being rubbed during 
 transportation. However, quite a number of smooth-skinned speci¬ 
 mens, or such with scales which do not come off easily or are provided 
 with spines, may be accommodated in one bag. In default of bags they 
 may be wrapped in cheese cloth, mosquito netting, or any other suitable 
 material at hand. 
 
 ►Specimens brought home alive may be sent to the museum in that 
 condition, if the prospects for their safe arrival are favorable. This 
 will be found especially practicable with turtles, which can usually be 
 kept a long time without food. If the specimens, however, are to be 
 killed this can best be done by drowning them in strong alcohol. For 
 that purpose they should be placed in an empty vessel and the alcohol 
 poured into it through a narrow opening. The vessel should be so full 
 as to exclude every particle of air from it and then be covered up to 
 prevent the animal from breathing. Even witli these precautions some 
 kinds require a long immersion before they die. 
 
BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [12] 
 
 The above directions apply cliiefly to small and medium sized speci¬ 
 mens wbicli can be accommodated whole in an ordinary collector’s out¬ 
 fit. He will occasionally, however, come across large specimens, which 
 have to be treated in a different w ay. 
 
 Crocodiles, alligators, and very large lizards may be skinned in the 
 same manner as indicated for large mammals, only that no attempt is 
 made at removing much less mutilating the skull. The crocodiles and 
 alligators may be dried or salted, while the lizard skins are better 
 placed in alcohol, in w^hich case the entire head and the limbs are left 
 in the skin. 
 
 Snakes too large to be preserved in alcohol should be skinned in very 
 much the same manner. After having noted the total length of the 
 specimen carefully in the note book make a longitudinal section along 
 the middle line of the entire underside from a little behind the head to 
 a few scales from the anal opening, taking great care not to injure the 
 last scale in front of the vent. The skin is now removed from the body 
 by gradually loosening it on each side from the cut toward the median 
 line of the back. The body is cuUoff behind the skull, and a little in 
 front of the anal opening, and the tail, like the head, left in the skin. 
 Properly labeled, the skin is then placed in alcohol. 
 
 For skinning chelonians the old Smithsonian Directions” (Misc. Coll. 
 34) contain the following: 
 
 Turtles and tortoises are more difiScult to prepare in this way, although their skin ¬ 
 ning can be done quite rapidly. “The breastplate must be separated by a knife or 
 siw from the back, and, when the viscera and fleshy parts have been removed, re¬ 
 stored to its position. The skin of the head and neck must be turned inside out as 
 far as the head, and the vertebrm and flesh of the neck should be detached from the 
 head, which, after being freed from the flesh, the brain, and the tongue, may be pre¬ 
 served with the skin of the neck. In skinning the legs and the tail, the skin must 
 be turned inside out, and the flesh having been removed from the bones; they are to 
 he returned to their places by redrawing the skin over them, first winding a little 
 cotton or tow around the bones to prevent the skin adhering to them when it dries.”— 
 Richard Owen. 
 
 Another way of preparing these reptiles is as follows: Make two incisions, one from 
 the anterior end of the breastplate to the symphysis of the lower jaw, and another 
 from the posterior end of the breastplate to the vent or tip of the tail; skin off these 
 regions and remove all fleshy parts and viscera without touching the breastplate it¬ 
 self; apply the preservative, stuff, and sew up again both incisions. 
 
 TRANSPORTING. 
 
 The collector should make it a point to transmit his specimens to the 
 museum as soon and as often as possible, and not allow them to accu¬ 
 mulate on his hands when in the field. 
 
 If he is within reach of a United States post-office the question of 
 transportation is a comparatively easy one. His specimens after an 
 immersion in alcohol of one to two weeks duration, according to size, 
 will be found hardened, and once in this condition they will stand trans¬ 
 portation in a nearly dry state for considerable time. 
 
 A cigar box, an old tomato can, or better still, an empty baking- 
 
[13] COLLECTINC REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS-STEJNEGER. 
 
 powder cau, answers the purpose very well. Take some cotton batting, 
 soak it in alcohol and squeeze it nearly dryj then wrap each individ¬ 
 ual specimen up and pack them solidly in the box or cau; when the 
 can is full add so much alcohol as the contents will hold without drip¬ 
 ping 5 wrap the parcel in several thicknesses of strong paper, and tie 
 a string securely around the whole; finally, paste on a Smithsonian 
 frank label, which will be supplied upon application, and the package 
 is ready for ttie mail without the sender having to go to any expense 
 for ])ostage. 
 
 The specimens may also be packed in their original cheese-cloth bags 
 or wrappings, in which case it will only be necessary to fill up the 
 vacant space with cotton saturated with alcohol. 
 
 Specimens thoroughly cured and packed in this way will arrive at 
 the museum in good shape even after the lapse of weeks. They can, 
 therefore, also be sent from foreign countries, not too remote, through 
 Express Companies with but little risk or trouble. It is doubtful if 
 they could be sent through foreign parcel post on account of the writ¬ 
 ten labels. 
 
 For long distance transportation it may be necessary to employ 
 sealed tin cans, screw-top collecting tanks, or wooden kegs, which will 
 allow the use of more alcohol. But even in this case the specimens 
 should be packed dry and as closely as possible without crowding, and 
 the vessel filled entirely so as to admit no rubbing of the contents. If 
 there are not enough specimens, fill the vacant space with cotton or 
 other suitable material, being careful not to employ any from which 
 the alcohol will extract any discoloring matter ; alcohol is then poured 
 in until all vacant space is filled, and the vessel sealed hermetically. 
 If a metal vessel is used it should be inclosed in a solid wooden box. 
 Glass jars should be avoided, if possible, as too liable to break. 
 
 Finally, to sum up a few of the more important things to be avoided— 
 
 DonH tie a label around the neck of the specimens. 
 
 l)onH forget to give the alcohol access to the interior of the speci¬ 
 mens. 
 
 DonH slit the specimens open with a knife, but, if you have no 
 hypodermic syringe, use pointed scissors. 
 
 DonH forget to label the specimens properly. 
 
 DonH wrap the specimens in dry cotton, but soak it first in alcohol. 
 
 DonH use glass jars, if you can possibly help it. 
 
 DonH put sealing wax on the cork. 
 
 DonH be satisfied with one specimen of a kind, if more can be ob¬ 
 tained. 
 
 DonH let your hypodermic syringe dry up; keep the top screw tight 
 with ample packing between. 
 
 O