APPENDIX ON COLLECTING 347 



can never be examined so satisfactorily as in the fresh state. 

 Wherever it is impossible at once to examine and determine 

 the name of any given Fungus, some effort must be made for 

 its preservation. With the soft and fleshy Agarics no 

 amount of careful desiccation will be satisfactory alone, as they 

 will soon shrink out of all recognition, change colour, and be- 

 come liable not only to decay, but also to quick destruction 

 by insects. Some persons have suggested the immersion of 

 the fresh specimen in some preserving fluid, such as Goadsby's 

 solution, methylated spirit, glycerine, etc., but none of these can 

 be employed, because the colour of the Agaric will be destroyed, 

 and, worse than all, the spores will be washed away from their 

 sporophores and disseminated through the fluid, suffering de- 

 coloration in the process. 



The only method which we are prepared to recommend for 

 Fungi of this kind is to make a sketch, or drawing, of the 

 Agaric, with the form, size, and colour as in life. It is not 

 absolutely essential that they should be coloured, although that 

 is best, but the colours should always be stated explicitly upon 

 the drawings. To assist those who are not facile with the 

 pencil, it is recommended that the specimen collected should 

 be divided longitudinally through the cap, and down the centre 

 of the stem. When this is done, one half should be laid on a 

 sheet of white paper, with the cut surface downwards, and the 

 outline traced carefully upon the paper with a sharp-pointed 

 pencil. On removing the specimen there will be left upon the 

 paper an outline of the form of the Agaric, natural size. This 

 may be completed by hand, drawing in the line marking the 

 margin of the pileus, indications of scales (if any exist), the 

 character of the ring (if present), and the scales, lines, or mark- 

 ings of the stem. Another copy of the section, made side by 

 side on the same paper, would give the outline of the gills, 

 and by a little care and practice it would be found easy to 

 draw the line from the stem to the edge of the cap, indicating 

 the point of junction of the gills with the flesh of the cap. 

 This should be done very carefully and accurately, as it must 

 be depended upon to show whether the gills are quite free from 

 the stem at their inner extremity, or whether they are adnexed, 

 or whether they are decurrent, and to what extent they run 



