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THE PRESERVATION OF MARINE ANIMALS
FOR ZOOLOGICAL PURPOSES.
By J. T. CUNNINGHAM, M.A.
[The following brief exposition of the methods now employed
in biological laboratories for the preservation of marine forms has
been very kindly prepared by Mr. Cunningham, at our request, as a
guide for those taking part in the dredging excursions of the Club,
and in order to aid the collecting and preservation of specimens for
the Club's Museum. The necessity for the employment of these
refined methods of preservation, if specimens of any value to the
zoological student or histologist are desired, has been well pointed
out by Prof. Playfair McMurrick in the "American Naturalist" :
"Unfortunately for our students, especially those living inland, and
depending largely for their knowledge of marine forms upon dried or
preserved specimens in museums, the old-fashioned methods of
throwing any material which the collector may find into a jar of
alcohol, without further attention, or else drying it in the sun, are
still almost the only ones made use of for the preservation of museum
specimens. The result is that the majority of forms which the
student has for study are either dried skeletons, or shrivelled up
monstrosities giving no idea whatever of the actual appearance of the
creatures supposed to be represented by them. How many college
museums possess a specimen of coral showing in any recognisable
form the polyps by which the skeleton coral was formed? Or how
many have even a satisfactorily prepared Lamellibranch?" We
feel sure that Mr. Cunningham's directions, bearing as they do the
authority of an experienced naturalist perfectly acquainted with the
work of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Plymouth, will be wel-
comed by those of our readers taking an interest in marine zoology.
Should any difficulties arise in practice, we shall be glad to aid or
to obtain aid in solving them, and we hope shortly to be enabled to
supplement Mr. Cunningham's paper by one giving some practical
hints on the methods of exhibiting the specimens to the best
advantage, in bottles or jars, etc., for museum purposes.—Ed.]
FOR centuries alcohol has been universally employed for preserv-
ing animals or preparations of parts of animals for zoological
investigation or study, or for exhibition. Other liquids, such as
glycerine, have been occasionally used ; but alcohol has been found
most generally useful, and it is at this day more indispensable to the
zoologist than ever. In this country, for fiscal reasons, pure ethyl
alcohol, or spirits of wine (whether absolute or diluted to a greater or
less degree with water) is expensive, and it can only be obtained in