44 HISTORY OF BRITISH FERXS. 



paper, to uliich they slioulJ be fastened by a few thread 

 ties, or gummed straps ; or, if they have to be much 

 turned over, they may, for greater safety, be fastened 

 down -with glue. The specimens, no doubt, admit of a 

 much more convenient and searchiuci; examination when 

 kept loose in a folded sheet of paper ; but if there should 

 be frequent occasion to handle such loose specimens, they 

 will be found much more liable to become injured and 

 broken than such as are fastened to the paper ; and the 

 risk is lessened in proportion to the degree in which they 

 are made fast. 



The specimens should be fully labelled, the labels giving 

 at least their names, the locality where gathered, and the 

 date. These labels should, as far as possible, be fixed 

 with some degree of uniformity as to the position, so as to 

 be readily referred to by turning up one of the corners of 

 the sheets of paper. 



The papers to which the specimens are affixed should 

 be enclosed in paper covers, formed of whole sheets, i.e. 

 two leaves, each genus being put in a separate cover, with 

 the name written or printed on the lower left-hand outer 

 comer. The printed labels prepared for the herbarium 

 are very useful for this purpose. These covers should be 



