142 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



It is directed over the ant's head by a forward jerk of the already 

 raised and restless abdomen. To observe the spraying process 

 to advantage it is necessary to hold the branch with the excited 

 insects thereon up to the sun (late afternoon sun for preference), 

 or to a bright light. I have taken several small nests home after 

 knocking most of the ants off. When the insect bites it simul- 

 taneously turns its abdomen over its back and discharges the 

 liquid on to the bitten spot ; hence the unrest of one when stung 

 on more tender parts than the hand, and where the biter cannot 

 be quickly secured. No wonder the jumping spider evades this 

 formidable ant — I do not know of any spider, beetle, mantis, &c., 

 which preys upon jEcophylla smaragdina — nor is it strange, when 

 a fight occurs between the green and another species, that the 

 other fellow exhibits an early inclination to break away after 

 tackling. I have seen several green warriors quickly put to 

 flight a larger number of a yellow species, nocturnal in habits, 

 which I had brought out of their domicile by breaking a hole 

 through. Several of the yellow fighters were quickly captured 

 and carried away. 



HINTS ON DRYING FLOWERS. 



(Concluded from page 130.^ 



" The acid answers extremely well with roses and orchids, in- 

 cluding white species of each, which otherwise inevitably turn 

 brown. The effect on the Butterfly Orchis is curious. The 

 flowers lose their fleshiness, and get the appearance of white 

 silver-paper. The tints, however, of the bracts and all the 

 green parts of the inflorescence become a pale greenish-yellow, 

 showing that the acid does affect the leaves of some plants, 

 but not in the same way as the flowers. It is not easy 

 to know except by experiment which white flowers require the 

 acid ; but in general it may be said that thin, quickly-drying 

 flowers do not require it. In fact, with very thin flowers, such as 

 in the genera Cerastium and Stellaria, its use is almost impos- 

 sible, as the flowers would lose their shape irrecoverably. With 

 some delicate flcnvers the only possible way of using it is to touch 

 them with a fine camel-hair brush dipped in the mixture ; then 

 soak up the moisture at once with blotting-paper, and spread 

 out ihe collapsed petals with a pin. It requires infinite patience 

 and considerable practice ; but I have succeeded very fairly in 

 this way with Geraniuin molle, for example, which when dried 

 in the sun with cotton-wool loses size and becomes too blue. 



"The hints here given are the result of many years' laborious 

 practice. My own herbarium is not large, probably not more than 

 five or six hundred specimens in all, including British and foreign 

 plants. I make no attempt at completeness, but every year dry 

 some thirty or forty of those most interesting to me. I have 



