COLLECTING AND PRESERVING MARINE ALG^. 29 



cautions coucern especially those specimens found floating, but apply 

 also, to some extent, to those found attached. 



Preparation of Specimens. — If specimens are to be prepnred 

 for the herbarium, the process is radically different from that 

 employed if they are to be prepared for the use in the laboratory or 

 for special cytological or histological investigation. For the last 

 two purposes, special methods must be used, varying with the par- 

 ticular species selected and the particular purpose of the investiga- 

 tion. Consequently these methods must be sought for in more 

 extensive works dealing especially witii microscopical technique, 

 and also in the various monographs. All that the writer can do is 

 to mention some of the most useful of the methods usually employed 

 for the first two cases mentioned. Plants may be prepared for her- 

 barium service in one of several ways, according to the nature of 

 the plant concerned and the facilities of the collectoi'. They may be 

 rough-dried, mounted upon cards, sheets of paper or mica, or packed 

 away in salt. 



Rough Drying. — All the largest algse, and even all sizes except 

 the very finest, when the collector is on an extended trip and can not 

 obtain the facilities for more careful methods, should be separated 

 carefully from one another and laid out to dry in the air. An old 

 newspaper may be spread out for their reception, and the place to 

 be selected is one not sunny, but at the same time where the air is 

 as dry as possible. The sun dries the specimens too rapidly and 

 renders them too brittle. As the specimens are drying they should 

 be turned over from time to time in order that the drying process 

 may be uniform, and in order that, in the case of large and fleshy 

 specimens, the under moister portion may not mold while the 

 expo.sed portion becomes so thoroughly dry as to become brittle. 

 Bushy specimens should be shaken out from time to time in order 

 that their branches may dry separately, because, if the branches 

 remain closely adhering to each other, they are very likely to 

 become soft or rotten before they are completely dried. When the 

 specimens are fairly thoroughly dried but before they become brittle 

 they should be rolled up into a ball or roll, and allowed to continue 

 their drying. Finally, each ball or roll should be wrapped up in a 

 piece of dry newspaper, tied up with twine, and is then, if the 

 drying has been thoroughly done, ready for transportation or for 



