272 Dr J. E. T. Aitchison on Practical Hints as to 



this I have found hy far the best implement for collecting 

 with. Besides, there should be in store at least six pairs of 

 ordinary dissecting forceps, for aiding in lifting the plants 

 whilst changing them from one set of papers to another (it is 

 a great labour to do this depending alone upon one's fingers, 

 besides the absence of forcejis results in much injury to 

 most specimens), a good bill hook, a spade, a saw, an axe, 

 a small hold-all of carpenters' tools, a couple of pairs of strong 

 scissors, some carpet needles, extra twine, a 40 lb. parcel of 

 spare boards, with some tough iron wire such as is used with 

 soda-water bottles, one or a couple of light baskets like the 

 lower part of a fish-wife's creel, or the Kilta of Kashmir. 



It may be asked how much material is it necessary to take 

 with one on an expedition ? — This of course depends upon 

 the numbers of sets proposed to be collected of each species. 

 In my opinion it is a very good collection, made in a new 

 country, if 1000 species can be collected during one season. 

 To collect two good sets of 1000 species of plants would 

 require six parcels of paper, of 300 sheets each at the very 

 least, or 1800 sheets of drying paper. 



Whilst on my travels, except occasionally dusting over cer- 

 tain classes of plants, such as Umbelliferce, Euphorbiacese, and 

 Compositse, with a little of M'Dougall's disinfecting powder, 

 I did not otherwise poison the specimens; but if there is any 

 chance of a long period of time elapsing between collecting the 

 specimens and arranging them into a Herbarium, I should 

 certainly poison the dried specimens immediately preceding 

 the process of packing them up ready for despatch from the 

 field, using the strength of corrosive sublimate recommended 

 by the late Asa Gray, in a solution in alcohol (of 95 per 

 cent.), just below the point of saturation, but adding one 

 ounce of carbolic acid to each qiiart of the above solution. 

 Although the collections I last made had not been much 

 more than a year from the time of gathering, some of these 

 did show signs of becoming affected by insects upon their 

 being opened for distribution. 



In making collections I would strongly urge that the 

 plants, as they are being collected, he at once 2)lacccl between 

 sheets of drying paper, and not be gathered first into baskets 

 or vascula, to be subsequently arranged in paper. I uphold 

 this plan very strongly, more especially in making large 



