210 



HARDWiCKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



BOTANY, 



Preservation or Fungi.— Tbe following metho ' 

 for the preservation of fungi, as given in the Rev. 

 H. P. Dunster's work on botany, will, I think, be 

 found in every way satisfactory, and, if not too lens 

 for insertion in your journal, might prove useful to 

 some of your correspondents. Of course all the 

 smaller kinds of fungi are easily disposed of, as all 

 they need is simply being allowed to dry on the 

 leaves, pieces of old wood, or other matrices on 

 which they may have been found growing. With 

 regard to the larger, and consequently more trouble- 

 some specimens, the following is the modus operandi: 

 —" With a delicate scimitar-shaped knife or scalpel, 

 such as is found in a surgeon's instrument- case, I 

 make a double vertical section through the middle, 

 from the top of the pileus to the base of the stem, 

 so as to remove a slice. This, it will be at once 

 seen, shows the natural outline of the whole 

 fungus ; the internal nature of its stem, whether 

 hollow, or spongy, or solid; the thickness of the 

 pileus, and the peculiarities of the gills, whether 

 equal or unequal in length, decurrent upon the 

 stem, or otherwise. There will then remain the two 

 sides, or nearly halves of the fungus, which each in 

 itself gives a correct idea of the whole circumference 

 of the plant. But, before we proceed to dry them> 

 it is necessary to separate the stem from the pileus, 

 and from the latter to scrape out the fleshy lamellae 

 or gills, if. an Agaric, or the tubes if a Boletus. 

 We have thus the fungus divided into two portions 

 —a central thin slice, two nearly halves of the stem, 

 and the same sections of the pileus. These, after 

 being a little exposed to the air, that they may part 

 with some of their moisture, but [not so long that 

 they may shrivel, are placed between dry blotting- 

 paper, and subjected to pressure as other plants, 

 the paper being changed daily till the specimens are 

 perfectly dry. When this is the case, the central 

 portion of slice and the two halves of the stem are 

 to be fastened upon white paper, together with the 

 respective halves of the pileus upon the top of the 

 latter in their original position. There will thus be 

 three sections, from which a correct idea of the 

 whole plant may be obtained. The volca and ring 

 of such species as possess then must be retained. 

 Some of the smaller and less fleshy kinds will not 

 reqirire to have the gills removed. In collecting 

 fleshy fungi, care must be taken that they are not 

 too old, and absolutely in a state of decomposition, 

 or too much infested with the larvae of insects. 

 When this is the case, some oil of turpentine 

 poured over them will either drive them rapidly 

 from their holes, or destroy them. Species with a 

 clammy viscid pileus, it is better to expose to a dry 

 air, or the heat of a fire, before being placed in 

 papers. The separate parts of the genera Phallus 



and Clathrus, I fill with cotton ; keep them for a 

 time exposed to a dry atmosphere, and then, after 

 removing the cotton, subject them to pressure." I 

 may add that, as a preservative against insects, the 

 specimens (when dry) should be washed over with 

 a solution of corrosive sublimate in pyroligneous 

 naphtha, very carefully, so as not to discolour 

 them. They also want to be looked to now and 

 then, in case damp should get at them.—/. S. W. 

 Burliam. 



The Crtptogamia op the Scilly Islands. — 

 Having recently spent a few days at the Scilly 

 Islands, I thought a few remarks on the Crypto- 

 gamic plants found there might not be uninteresting 

 to the readers of Science-Gossip. I was surprised 

 at the small number of mosses to be found— twenty- 

 five species would outnumber all I observed on the 

 islands. Of these, I gathered 'Pottia asperula, 

 Campylopus polytrichodeus, Trichostomum littomle, 

 and Bryum alpinum, all barren, as were most of the 

 common ones; the Sphagni, or Hypnum fluitans 

 division, not represented at all : the bogs seem to 

 contain too much saltness for them. The Hepaticse 

 are represented by a very few species. I nowhere 

 observed a single frondose form. On the rocks I 

 observed Frullania dilatata and F. fragilifolia, the 

 latter with calyces and male state, although I saw 

 a single patch only. F. tamarisci grow on the 

 stunted heath in a very small form. These, with 

 Jungermamiia ventricosa and a single species of 

 Scapania, were all I saw there. The stone Lichens 

 appear much the same as on the coast of Cornwall. 

 I saw Lecidia Miiddii and Lecanom aipospila, but 

 neither of them so fine as on the Penzance coast. 

 Ramalina scopulorum, Roccella tindoria, and B, 

 faciformis occur on the rocks, but very sparingly 

 and poor specimens, except the first, which is fine 

 and in great variety of form. The frondose stone 

 Lichens are pretty well represented. I gathered 

 Fannelia perlata in fruit, and several others of the 

 same genus. The Sticta family seem to be best 

 represented. I gSiihereA Siidiua limbata, S.fuligi- 

 nosa and S. scorhicidata, Sticta pulmomcea and S. 

 aurata, the latter in great beauty ; also, Eicasolia 

 latevirens. This was in fruit, and the only one in 

 that state. The Aspleniim mammm is very common 

 on all the islands ; with most of the commoner ones 

 on St. Mary's, the Osmimda regdlis grows very fine 

 in the boggy ground. Presco Abbey and grounds 

 are well worth a visit to the islands. Tiie immense 

 number of succulents on the extensive rock-work, 

 as well as the fine collection of agave, aloes, New 



Zealand and Australian plants, are well worth 

 attention. There seems to be no winter there by 

 their appearance.— TT. Cimioto, Penzance. 



Mineral Matter of Plants.— A large class 

 of plants appears to grow vigorously on bare rock. 



