REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 79 
make'better specimens, if treated in the same manner as the 
. fleshy ones. Some Polypori are so hard and tough, that dry- 
ing under pressure is impracticable. Entire specimens of 
such should be arranged in drawers or on shelves, but thin. 
vertical and horizontal slices or sections may be placed on the 
herbarium sheets. It is well to preserve such thin vertical 
sections of all thick and bulky species, as they serve to show 
the color and character of the internal substance and of the 
interior of the stem. 
Fungi, parasitic on living plants or their leaves, should be 
collected and preserved on the plants or leaves they inhabit. 
These may be dried in the plant press, or, if more convenient, 
between the leaves of an old book; but itis better to use only 
just enough pressure to keep the leaves smooth, avoiding the 
crushing of the parasite if possible. 
The very fragile fungi, known as Myxogasters, should never 
be placed under pressure, not even of the herbarium sheets. 
Small paper boxes, one-fourth of an inch deep and about 
three inches long and two wide, are convenient receptacles for 
these. They may be glued.to the herbarium sheets and 
placed in the herbarium without inconvenience. 
The multitudes of Spheriaceous and other minute fungi that 
inhabit fallen leaves, dead branches, herb stems, bark and 
decaying wood, need little or no preparation, except proper 
trimming of the matrix, so that the specimens shall not be 
too thick, and shall lie well on the herbarium sheet. In such 
genera as Diatrype and Valsa, it may be well to trim away a 
portion of the bark or the covering epidermis, in order to 
reveal the concealed characters as much as possible. Vertical 
sections of the larger species of Xylaria and Hypoxylon are 
desirable. The general rule is to exhibit as many of the spe- 
cific characters as possible, but, if only a single specimen of 
a species is possessed, it is better to leave it entire. 
It is well to poison all specimens of fungi. The fleshy 
species, and some of the hard Polypori, are especially liable 
to be attacked by insects, and, unless poisoned, would be 
speedily destroyed. They must also be kept ina dry place, 
or they will soon become moldy. 
In mounting specimens, I deem it better, for the sake of 
uniformity, to use sheets of the ordinary size, even though it 
is a little more expensive, giving a whole sheet to a species, 
