146 Proceed'nigH of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



For convenience of moving them to fumigate, &c., the book* 

 should be arranged in open boxes in an upright row. The 

 most convenient size of box is that of J.D.K.Z. Geneva cases. 

 The boxes being arranged like shelves, the names of the 

 family, series, genus and sub-genus are written in large 

 characters on the backs of the bo!ok covers, and thus at a 

 glance down the herbarium, the needed book can be readily 

 seen and easily taken out. The names of the specie.'i 

 enclosed in the books should be written on the left hand 

 lower corner of each doubled cover, and thus any specimen 

 can be conveniently found and re]')laced without delay. 



To preserve tlie specimens from the ravages of insects, 

 they need to be occasionally exposed to the fumes of bi- 

 sidphide of carbon in a covered water-tight case. The 

 quantity of fluid required depends on the completeness with 

 which the case is tilled by the boxes. A few ounces in a 

 small c\\\) will serve for a case measuring inside 3 ft. x 2 ft. 

 X 1 ft. 8 in., which will contain three boxes. 



6. — The Examination of Lichens. 



The examination of lichens for ordinary purposes is most 

 simply and expeditiously carried out b}^ detaching a small 

 portion of thallus or apothecium, or a spermagone, and 

 ]>utting it with a drop or two of water on a glass slide for a 

 short while to soak, then bruizing it down gently with a 

 pen-knife, till it is apparently dissolved. A dry cover is 

 applied, and gently pressed down with a dry knife. The 

 slide is then put under a micro.scope having a good | inch 

 object glass, and an eye piece magnifying from 250 to 300 

 diameters. When more careful examination is needed for 

 drawings of structure, a fine section will need to be made 

 of the moistened apothecium, &c., M'ith a section cutter, or 

 with a sharp surgeon's knife, under a watchmaker's lens. 

 It will require great nicety to make a good section, neither 

 too thick and opaque, nor too thin and depri\'ed of large 

 spores. Drawings and measurements may be made with a 

 camera lucida and a micrometer. A home made camera 

 lucida can be easily constructed by cementing a half of a 

 glass cover on to the end of a thin plate of brass, having at 

 the other end an aperture to correspond with that of the 

 eye piece, and bent in the middle at an angle of 45 

 degrees. 



