1899] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 329 



moulds of all the world, taken all together, affect in any 

 slightest measure the hap or fortune of man or nation 

 And yet, if in the economic relations of things, man's 

 intellectual life is to be considered, then surely come the 

 uncertain Slime-moulds, with their fascinating problems 

 proffered still in forms of unapproachable delicacy and 

 beauty, not without inspiration. 



Collection and Care of Slide-mould Material. 



Specimens may be taken at the appropriate season in 

 almost any or every locality. Beginning with the latter 

 part of May or first of June, in the Northern states, Plas- 

 modia are to be found everywhere on piles of organic 

 refuse : in the woods, especially about fallen and rotting 

 logs, undisturbed piles of leaves, beds of moss, stumps, 

 nor less in the open field where piles of straw or herba- 

 ceous matter of any sort sinks in undisturbed decay. 

 Within fifty years tree-planting in all the prairie states 

 has greatly extended the range of many more definitely 

 woodland species, so that species of Stemonitis, for in- 

 stance, are common in the groves on farms far into Ne- 

 braska and Dakota. In any locality the plasmodia pass 

 rapidly to fruit, but not infrequently a plasmodium in 

 June will be succeeded in the same place by others of the 

 same species, on and on, until the cold of approaching 

 winter checks all vital phenomena. The process of fruit- 

 ing should be watched as far as possible and, for herba- 

 rium material, allowed to pass to perfection in the field. 



Specimens collected should be placed immediately in 

 boxes in such a way as to suffer no injury in transport ; 

 beautiful material is often ruined by lack of care on the 

 part of the collector. Once at the herburium, specimens 

 may be mounted by gluing the supporting material to the 

 bottom of a small box. Boxes of uniform size and depth 

 may be secured for the purpose. Some collectors prefer 

 to fasten the specimen to a piece of stiff paper, of a size 

 to be pressed into the box snugly, but which may be re- 



