258 The Ottawa Naturalist. 



have entailed great labour and expense. I have therefore considered it 

 advisable to continue as I began . The Linnaean herbarium is on 

 paper of the common fools-cap type, but this is much too small. 



The labels to be attached to the sheets vary according to taste, the 

 points desirable of observance being clear type, neatness and simplicity. 

 They should not be to large nor yet too small. When a specimen is 

 given you the accompanying label should always be mounted with it. 

 Some collectors attach their labels permanently with paste or by having 

 them printed on gummed paper, but I prefer to merely fasten them 

 lightly at the sides thus allowing their removal should it ever become 

 necessary to transfer the specimen to another sheet. All the sheets con- 

 taining plants of the same genus are placed in genus covers, which are 

 full sheets of stout, colored paper. They should measure about a quarter 

 of an inch more in width than the mounting sheets. The name of the 

 genus is written at the bottom of the genus cover, or sets of genus labels 

 can be purchased cheaply and one of these pasted on instead. The various 

 genera are arranged under the order to which they belong and laid flat 

 in large pigeon-hole compartments in a closed cabinet, or else placed in 

 portfolios, which stand upright like books in a book-case. The 

 herbarium is made complete by a list or catalogue of the plants it 

 contains. 



Having thus described the method of collecting and preserving 

 specimens, let us briefly consider the next step in the study of botany, 

 viz. excursions. The object of collecting excursions should be three- 

 fold: 



ist. To cultivate habits of observation and secure knowledge of 

 habitats and the growing appearances of plants. 



2nd. To gather specimens for the herbarium. 



3rd. To secure material to work on during the study of structural 

 botany. 



Kven in the winter season excursions should not be entirely 

 abandoned. The true naturalist can always find something to admire, 

 and much useful work can be done in observing the trunks, branches 

 and buds of trees and shrubs. Winter is, however, the time pre- 

 eminently fitted for herbarium work, preserving, mounting, labelling, 



