77 



mens are attached to the sheets by gummed Mri|.~ mI' paper, while all la- 

 bels are attached to the sheets by pins. This metiiod of mounting plants 

 is rather unsatisfactory, as with age the specimens become brittle and the 

 leaves, flowers, and fruits of many of the specimens readily drop off and 

 become lost. Labels attached with pins can not he considered permanent, 

 as in the course of time the pins corrode, causing the paper to break and 

 allowing the label to become detached. In the forest flora herbarium 

 the specimens are attached to the sheets by glue and in addition gummed 

 strips, while the permanent labels are pasted to the shoot. I have insti- 

 tuted in Manila the latter method of mounting, and tiud it most prac- 

 tical and at the same time the most permanent method of preserving 

 specimens. 



Wooden herbarium cases are not used, but in both herbaria are hun- 

 dreds of tin boxes about twenty inches long, twelve inches wide and seven 

 inches deep. These boxes are arranged in suitable frame cases, those in 

 the old herbarium extending entirely around the balcony or second floor 

 of the museum building, those in the new herbarium in stacks extending 

 in parallel rows in the herbarium room. The boxes open at the end, being 

 hinged at the bottom, provided with a suitable fastener at the top and a 

 proper label holder in front. 



In preserving fleshy material alcohol has been found to be the only 

 practical preservative for use in the Tropics. Experiments have been 

 made here with various compounded preservatives containing alum, pic- 

 ric acid, etc., and also with formaldehyde, but all have proved unsatisfac- 

 tory except alcohol. Alcoholic material is permanently preserved in glass 

 l)()ttles, museum jars, etc., but in the field zinc collecting cases are always 

 used. In collecting alcoholic material the fruits or flowers receive the 

 field number of the herbarium specimens prepared from the same plants, 

 and are then wrapped in thin paper and numbered again, in order to 

 avoid errors, before they are placed in the alcohol; later the specimens 

 receive the same museum numbers as the herbarium specimens. 



Before the specimens are mounted they are poisoned by immersing for 

 two or three minutes in a saturated alcoholic solution of corrosive sub- 

 limate. For this purpose a hollow log is used, the size of the trough being 

 about twenty inches long, thirteen inches wide, and eight inches deep. 

 Into this is poured the sublimate solution, and then the plants, each with 

 a proper label, are placed on thin bamboo frames and immersed for the 

 required time; then removed and placed in driers until thoroughly dry, 

 then being mounted. In doing this work great care is exercised to avoid 

 contact with the solution, the specimens being transferred from the bam- 

 boo frames to the driers by means of specially constructed bamboo imple- 

 ments. As each specimen is mounted, a small label is attached, giving 

 the date of poisoning, initialed by the person who poisoned the specimen. 



