CHAPTER VI 

 COLLECTING AND PRKSERVING FUNGI 



Two distinct ideas are involved in the collecting of fungi : (i) Col- 

 lecting for the purpose of studying the specimens in a living condition 

 and then discarding them ; (2) collecting specimens for the purpose 

 of immediate study, and further, for preservation in a dried state 

 for future reference. This latter method is, of course, most satis- 

 factory, as notwithstanding the fact that in the case of soft, fleshy 

 fungi many features are lost in the act of drying, yet, with experi- 

 ence, dried specimens, more especially those that have been 

 examined b}' the student in a living condition previously, are of 

 great value. On the other hand, numerous kinds of what may be 

 termed dry fungi, that grow on dead wood, leaves, etc., are practi- 

 cally unchanged by the act of drying, and can be examined at any 

 moment, and as the student advances in the study, and wishes to 

 make a careful investigation of any special group of fungi, it will 

 be found that the only possible way of so doing is by having 

 access to a complete set of all the forms included in the said grovip. 

 This can only be done by having a collection of carefully preserved 

 specimens, for it must be ever borne in mind that however common 

 and generally distributed any particular kind of fungus ma}- be, it is 

 not possible to go out and collect the given fungus at the particular 

 moment it happens to be wanted, whereas if a specimen has been 

 carefully dried and preserved, it is an easy matter to turn it up at 

 any given moment. 



in collecting fleshy fungi, agarics, etc., it is not sufficient to take 

 hold of the stem and pull the plant up ; such attempts generally 

 result in failure, as the plants are brittle and usually break. The 

 fungus should be lifted out of the earth by means of an old knife, 

 or even a pointed stick will answer the purpose ; for many years 

 I used a walking-stick shod with iron for this purpose. In the case 

 of those fungi having a volva or loose sheath surrounding the base 

 of the stem, unless properly lifted out of the ground, the volva 

 will almost certainly be left behind, and thus one of the most 

 important characters of the specimen will be missing. In the act 

 of collecting, the specimens should be handled as little as possible, 

 as the stem more especially soon shows stains, and traces of the 

 ring, veil, or delicate coating of mealy substance are apt to be 



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