Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.3)

600 ADVICE TO COLLECTORS. Oct. 1836. bottles open at the same time, so that one may serve for Crustacea, another for animals for dissection, another for minute specimens, another for fish, always putting the latter into the strongest spirit. Any how it is absolutely neces- sary to keep a couple of receiving bottles in which every thing can at first be put, and afterwards transferred to the permanent bottles with fresh spirits. Without assistance from government, and plenty of room, it is most dishearten- ing work to attempt to bring home many specimens in spirits, although without doubt in such a state they are very far the most valuable. I should recommend any one circumstanced as T was to preserve the skins only of large fish and reptiles. But with room and means at command, let the collector place no limit to the number of his glass jars. With respect to the catalogues it is inconvenient to have many ; but there must at least be two, one for the tin labels or specimens in spirits, and another for the paper numbers, which should be applied indiscriminately to every kind of specimen. If the observer has any particular branch to which he devotes much attention, a third catalogue exclu- sively for such specimens is desirable : I kept a third for geological specimens and fossils. In a like manner notes should be as simple as possible : I kept one set for geology, and another for zoological and all other observations. It is well to endeavour to write upon separate pages remarks on different specimens ; for much copying M'ill thus be saved. My journal was likewise kept distinct from the other sub- jects. I found an arrangement carried thus far very useful: a traveller by land would, I suppose, be obliged to adopt a still more simple plan. Use arsenical soap* for all skins, but do not neglect to brush the legs and beak with a solution of corrosive sublimate. Seeds must not be sent home in the same case with skins prepared with poison, camphor, or essential oils ; scarcely any of mine germinated, and Professor Henslow thinks they were thus killed.