84 OUTLINES OF BRITISH FUNOOLOGY. 



discolour the plants. Turpentine and corrosive sublimate may 

 also be used, but as the corrosive sublimate is not soluble in 

 it, the effect is uncertain. When the specimens are dry they 

 should be glued to paper, which, if of the size mostly used 

 for the herbarium, may be kept loose, but if of various sizes, 

 as is perhaps most convenient, each slip of paper may be 

 fastened with a small pin, so that several specimens may be 

 included in one sheet. The slip should always bear some 

 definite proportion to the sheet for convenience of arrange- 

 ment. No portion of the herbarium requires more frequent 

 inspection to prevent the ravages of mites and other insects ; 

 and, above all, the room in which the Fungi arc placed must 

 be free from damp, or the specimens, especially those which 

 are dried without making sections, will be apt to mould. The 

 great inconvenience about these is, that after a time, from the 

 presence of some soluble salt, they are apt to vary with the 

 weather as to their condition of dryness, and then the papers 

 on which they are placed will be stained. At present I am 

 not aware of any remedy for this inconvenience. 



As, after all possible care, the colours, and many of the 

 minuter characters, will be more or less impaired, it is ad- 

 visable never to place a specimen within the papers for drying 

 without at the same time making an accompanying note, 

 giving such information about it as may serve to identify it. 

 Without this, mistakes and perplexities will often arise, and a 

 little care at first will grow into a habit, making it almost im- 

 possible to attempt to dry a specimen without a proper note. 

 The commonest species will thus have its prop^ value, and 

 will sometimes come into use, when it is least expected. 



The Myxogastres are best preserved in the herbarium by 

 fastening the specimens to the base of a neat shallow box, 

 with a lid capable of being easily removed. If each box is 



