MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 677 



sible, specimens should be gathered in fine weather. 

 If not too large, the whole plant should be taken ; 

 but if otherwise, attention should be paid to pre- 

 serve all the characteristic parts. Hoots should be 

 carefully washed : if the root-leaves or lower stem- 

 leaves differ much from the upper leaves, the former 

 should be kept with the root or lower portion of the 

 stem. Flowers and fruit should, if practicable, both 

 be retained ; and in Monoeciousand Dioecious plants 

 both male and female flowers are requisite ; in some, 

 as in many Salicacece, the young shoot, with its 

 fully developed leaves, are desirable. Bad speci- 

 mens should not be kept, even as duplicates, unless 

 the plant is a rare one. In short, the rule should 

 be, to bring away as much as can conveniently be 

 managed, and in as perfect a condition as circum- 

 stances will permit. 



2. Size and Carriage of Specimens. In general 

 no specimens should exceed 16 inches in length by 

 9-| inches in breadth ; when under this size, the root 

 should be kept attached. Many Grasses, Sedges, and 

 slender Ferns, which should be kept entire, may, 

 when longer than this, be preserved by folding them 

 once or twice backwards and forwards, according to 

 their dimensions. In collecting Filices, two fronds 

 are required to make one complete specimen. Where 

 roots cannot be easily obtained, the stem should be 

 separated below the insertion of the root-leaves. 

 When plants are gathered they should be retained 

 in the hand as short a time as possible, but should be 

 immediately placed in the vasculum, a small slip of 



