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4

[[preprinted]]
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
UNDER DIRECTION OF
THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
WASHINGTON
[[/preprinted]]

in the museum collection. 

To attain this and without altering the natural appearance of the specimens and without being obliged to saturate them with a solution of the substance in any one of the common solvents, it occurred to me that advantage might be taken of a property of the bichloride of mercury which has been established by experiments beyond dispute and which seems to be a very important one in this direction. This property consists in the volatility of the bichloride of mercury at almost all ordinary temperatures. 

In accordance with this property, our experiments will consist simply in placing a few crystals of this substance in the