A.—APPENDIX ON PRACTICAL WORK. 
THE importance of practical work in Natural Science is now universally 
admitted, and it is therefore unnecessary to enlarge upon it here. This 
book is mainly written for students who are anxious to verify the lead- 
ing facts of Botany, and, in accordance with this end, common plants 
have been used wherever possible for purposes of illustration. 
Practical work in Botany may be considered under the following 
headings: —I. Drscriprion oF Piants; II. Anatomy; III. His- 
ToLoay ; LV. PHysIoLoey. 
I. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS, 
We are here mainly concerned with the external features, and the 
apparatus required is of the simplest description: (1.) A sharp pen- 
knife is necessary for cutting through stems, buds, flowers, ovaries, &c., 
in various directions (pp. 29, 30, 74, 84, and fig. 48). (2.) Dissecting 
needles, preferably three-sided glovers’ needles, mounted in handles, 
serve for separating out the individual parts of small flowers, &c. 
Pieces of fresh twig form useful handles. The blunt ends of the 
needles are pushed into the pith, and, after a few weeks, contraction of 
the wood will have fixed them firmly. (3.) A botanical lens is essential 
for examination of the flower. Without it the placentation (p. 104), 
among other things, could not be made out in small flowers. A three- 
fold lens, such as opticians sell for about 3s., is the best form. For a 
small sum a stand for this can be obtained, consisting of a vertical rod 
fixed below to a heavy foot-stand. A hole is bored in the fittings of 
the lens just large enough to admit the rod, and allow of sliding up and 
down. Both hands are thus left free to dissect with needles, or other- 
wise, small objects placed on a sheet of white paper. The sliding action 
permits accurate focussing. It may not be superfluous to point out the 
right way of using a lens. It should be brought close to the eye, and 
then near the object, taking care to have a good light. Beginners fre- 
quently place the lens near the object, and then try to look through it 
from some distance, as if they were inspecting a photograph through a 
large magnifying-glass. (4.) Small pins (sold in shops as “ minikins ”) 
are useful for fixing down the parts of a flower in the form of a diagram. 
A piece of thin deal board affords a convenient basis. (5.) A pair of 
small brass botanical forceps will be found extremely useful, perhaps 
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