Botanical Collections. 383 



or (nearly) halves of the Fungus, which each in itself gives a correct idea, 

 if I may so express myself, of the whole circumference of the plant. But 

 before we proceed to dry them, it is necessary to separate the stipes from 

 the pileus, and, from the latter, to scrape out the fleshy lamellae, or gills, if 

 an Agaric; or the tubes, if the Boletus. We have thus the Fungus divided 

 into live portions ; a central thin slice, two (nearly) halves of the stipes, 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 

 shrivel, are to be 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, or slice, and 

 the two halves of the stipes, 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. Here will thus be three sections ; from which a correct 

 idea of the whole plant may be obtained. The volva and annulus of such 

 species as possess them, must be retained. The separate parts of the 

 genera Phallus and Clathrus 1 fill with cotton : I keep them for a time 

 exposed to a dry atmosphere, and then, after removing the cotton, subject 

 them to pressure. The same may be done with the large tremilloid, Pezizce, 

 — Klotzsch in Bot. Miscell vol. ii. p. 160. 



Botanical Garden of St Petershurgh This enormous garden, contain- 

 ing about seventy English acres, is only part of it filled with plants : in 

 1828, one could walk under glass 515 arshines, each 7 feet English, or, in 

 all, 3605 English feet, or upwards of two-thirds of a mile. The Ulex 

 europcBus, or common furze, to see which growing in the open air, Linnaeus 

 is said to have, on his first arrival in England, knelt, and thanked his Maker, 

 is here confined to the greenhouse. 



Weissia longirostris. — This plant, perhaps one of the scarcest in the 

 British flora, has, we are happy to announce, been lately rediscovered at, or 

 near the original locality in the Den of Campsie, near Glasgow, by Dr 

 Hooker and Dr Greville. The fructification is produced in rather small 

 quantity. It is now proved, a fact doubted for some time past by many 

 bryologists, to be a perfectly distinct species. 



Dried Specimens of Cape Plants Mr Ecklon, of Cape Town, has 



made a very extensive journey in South Africa, for the purpose of collecting 

 plants. He travelled from Algoa Bay through the district of Uitenhagen 

 and Albania, across the great Fish River, into Cafferland, prosecisting his 

 journey to a distance of 150 German miles westerly from Cape Town, and 

 to a country hitherto unexplored by any botanist. The vegetation is very 

 different from that of the Cape, scarcely one in ten plants being similar; 

 and the herbarium contains about 3000 species, and 10 to 20 specimens of each 

 kind. This collection is deposited at Cape Town ; for, wishing to add still 

 further to it, Mr Ecklon set out in March, 1830, on a similar expedition to 

 the north, to examine the district of Graaf-Reynet, the Schneeberge, and, if 

 possible, to arrive at the Orange River. It was his intention to return to 

 the Cape in January of the present year. 



Dr Steudel, of Eslingen, has issued proposals for the formation of a society 

 of botanists, who shall purchase this collection, and share it among them, 

 according to the rate of their subscriptions ; the distribution to be made 

 in the same manner, and with the same impartiality as is practised by the 

 Unio Itineraria. Mr Ecklon estimates his plants at two guineas the Cen- 

 tury of species ; and so numerous are the species, that a full set would cost 

 from 60 to 80 guineas. No payment is required in advance, but a declara- 

 tion from the person of his intention, and of the amount of his intended 

 subscription ; and then, as soon as Mr Ecklon arrives in Europe, a fair offer 



