5o8 



The Conntrv Gciiilci^wiuaii 



dish half full of fresh water ; take one speci- 

 men at a time from the basin and immerse it 

 in this water, then take a piece of writing- 

 paper and slide it under the weed, gradually 

 bringing it up closer and closer to this latter 

 with one hand, while with a camel-hair pencil 

 in the other you float the weed out, and dif- 

 fuse it so as to shew almost every portion of 

 it ; now raise the paper gently out of the 

 water, and gradually slant it so as to drain 

 oflf the superabundant moisture \ if any por- 

 tions of the weed do not lie smoothly or 

 gracefully, dip a finger in the water, and let 

 fall a drop or two on the offending portion, 

 and again gendy touch it with the brush ; we 

 need not say that with some of the finer and 

 more deKcate specimens, patience is exceed- 

 ingly requisite, as the filaments cling and heap 

 together, and often require the aid of a needle 

 to separate them properly, and repeated 

 dropping of water to float them into an easy 

 and natural position. When this is satisfac- 

 torily achieved, lay the paper on five or six 

 pieces of blotting-paper, stretch a piece of old 

 mull or clear-muslin over the specimen, and 

 then put four or five more pieces of blotting- 

 paper on it, and then a heavy weight or pile 

 of folios; several specimens may be put one on 



the specimen in the least degree. In about 

 three days, if the weather is favourable (not 

 damp), the specimen will be perfectly dry and 

 ready for insertion into the book ; it will re- 

 tain its colour for years, and is in a manner 

 incorporated with the paper on which it lies. 

 To those ho^ve^-er, who ma\- not have time or 



Fig. 3. NitophylUim oscellatum. 



the other, if from ten to a dozen thicknesses 

 of blotting-paper are laidbetween each. Leave 

 it thus for twenty-four hours, and then very 

 carefully remove the weight and take away 

 the blotting-paper and muslin and dry it or 

 eplace it by fresh, taking care not to disturb 



Sertularla abietina (Sea Fii 



patience to wait the natural course of drying, 

 we may mention that a heavy heated flat-iron 

 pressed on the folds of blotting-paper, forms 

 a more expeditious means of getting rid of 

 the moisture, and, if carefully managed, im- 

 pairs the hue of the specimen but little. We 

 must remark that the method of proceeding 

 above described is applicable only to the 

 thin, fine, and delicate weeds, as the Land- 

 scape weed (Plocamium coccineum, fig. 2), 

 the Dock-leaved or blood-coloured Fucus 

 (Delessaria sanguinea), the varieties of the 

 Nitophyllum (fig. 3), the Scarlet Dasya (Dasya 

 coccinea). Sea-hair (Sertularia operculata, 

 fig. i), and such like. 



The varieties of Dulse, of Desmarestia, of 

 large mosses, and of Laminaria, must be 

 soaked first in salt and water, then dried in a 

 towel, laid out on a table or board, and every 

 portion of that which is to be the under side 

 passed over with a camel-hair pencil dipped 

 in a solution of gum-dragon ; the gummed 

 side must then be applied to the paper 

 destined for the specimen, and the after pro- 



