HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



such, for example, as the Umbellifem and Grossu- 

 lariaceee, are peculiarly liable to such attacks ; and 

 these orders must be inspected from time to time, 

 so that any insect ravages may at once be checked. 

 Damp is to be avoided in the situation of the 

 herbarium, as it favours the development not only 

 of iusects but of mould, and renders the specimens 

 rotten. 



The question of labelling is 

 of some importance, especially to 

 those who value neatness and 

 uniformity in the appearance of 

 their herbarium. One or two sets 

 of printed labels for this purpose 

 have been issued, but they cannot 

 be recommended. They give more 

 than is necessary, — e.g., the 

 English, or more correctly, the 

 book-English names, the general 

 habitats, and definite localities of 

 rare species, and allow very insuffi- 

 cient space for filling in the date 

 and place of collecting, the name 

 of the collector, and such remarks 

 as occasionally occur. ■ The plan 

 of writing all necessary informa- 

 tion upon the sheet itself is a good 

 one ; but those who prefer a uni- 

 form series of labels, will find that 

 a form like the following is as use- 

 ful as any which they can adopt, 

 and includes all necessary infor- 

 mation. The size here given will 

 be adequate for almost all require- 

 ments, and is a "happy medium" between the small 

 tickets upon which we have animadverted, and the 

 enormous ones with which some botanists think it 

 necessary to accompany their specimens. Careshould 

 be taken to avoid the possibility of a misplacement of 

 labels ; many serious blunders have arisen from the 

 neglect of due precaution in this matter. 



ready reference. Each genus will require a separate 

 cover, which may well be of somewhat stouter paper 

 than that on which the plants are mounted: the 

 name of the genus should be written at the left-hand- 

 corner, followed by a reference to the page of the 

 manual by which the plants are arranged, or to the 

 number which it bears in the " London Catalogue/' 

 if that be employed in their arrangement — a purpose 



Herb. John Smith. 



Ranunculus acris, L. 



a,nd E. Steveni, Eeicli. 



Loc. Meadows near Barchester. 



Date, June 30, 1874. 



Coll. John Smith. 



Arrangement.— The plants being now affixed to 

 their respective sheets and duly labelled, are ready 

 to be placed in covers, and rendered available for 



Fig. I. Cabinet for Herbarium Sheets. 



for which it is very suitable. Should the species be 

 represented by more than one sheet, it is convenient 

 to inclose each in a cover of thinner paper, which 

 may bear the number assigned to the plant in the 

 right-hand corner ; and it is also convenient to write 

 the name of the plant at the bottom of each sheet, 

 and to number it also in the right-hand corner. 

 These details may appear trivial, but they in reality 

 affect in no small degree the readiness with which 

 any species may be referred to. Should the plants 

 be arranged in accordance with the " London Cata- 

 logue," a copy should be kept with the herbarium, 

 in which the plants should be ticked off, so that it 

 may serve as a catalogue of the species represented. 

 Cabinets. — It will of course be necessary to 

 provide some accommodation for our specimens, and 

 for this purpose we shall find no better model than 

 the cabinets in use in the Botanical department ot 

 the British Museum. The accompanying figure 

 (drawn to scale) is an exact representation of one of 

 these. The measurements can of course be modified 

 so as to suit the size of the herbarium sheets. Each 

 shelf is a separate drawer, which, with its contents, 

 can be taken out and replaced at will. Two cabinets 

 such as that figured will be found amply sufficient 



