Viewing page 5 of 19

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

3.WHAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN CARING FOR THE COLLECTIONS UNDER YOUR CUSTODY, i. e., IN THEIR PRESERVATION AND INSTALLATION.

The entire collection was gone over twice and the alcohol in bottles and jars replenished.

Experiments to establish the efficacy of [[underlined]]Formalin[[/underlined]] as a preservative and substitute for alcohol were undertaken with encouraging results.  While it is yet very doubtful whether Formalin will ever take the place of alcohol in the permanent museum collection, the tests have amply demonstrated its superiority as a preservative in the field. The curator now sends out small quantities of the fluid in the standard mailing cases, to correspondents and has every reason to believe that the new departure will be a success.