THE VICTORIAN XATUBALIST. 117 



witnessing the hundreds of mutton-birds wheeling- in from sea- 

 ward to claim their respective holes for laying purposes. On 

 the third and final day the earliest possible start was made for 

 the nurseries, and more mutton-bird eggs were gathered till 

 nine o'clock. All traps were then packed, and the happy 

 campists were once more afloat, drifting homewards. In sailing 

 over the shallows beautiful marine objects were easily observed, 

 varieties of fish, seaweeds of most striking colours, &c. The 

 first portion of the home voyage was slow, but after passing 

 Griffiths' Point, by the aid of a strong E.N.E. breeze, a splendid 

 run was made to Hastings, where they landed about seven 

 o'clock. Melbourne was reached in due course, and shortly 

 after ten o'clock that night most of the members were at their 

 respective homes, and all expressed themselves thoroughly 

 delighted with the " camp outing." An ornithologist, during 

 ■the excursion, identified between forty and fifty varieties of birds. 



THE DRY PRESERVATION OF FLOWERS, FUNGI, 

 &c., IN THEIR NATURAL SHAPES AND COLOURS. 



By D. M 'Alpine, F.C.S. 



(Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 8t/t 

 November, 1886.^ 



A PREVIOUS paper on the dry preservation of animal specimens 

 for museum and teaching purposes has suggested the present 

 one, and it will be remembered that the principle of the method 

 consisted in applying to entire animals a process which had 

 long before been used for microscopic preparations only. 



In considering the dry preservation of plant specimens in 

 their natural shapes and colours, the idea naturally suggests 

 itself, might microscopic methods be of service here as well, 

 and will a fluid of some sort serve the purpose.? It is well- 

 known that mounting in Canada balsam or dammar does not 

 destroy the colour of petals, and this fact may be turned to 

 useful account. 



It will be convenient to consider flowers and fungi separately, 

 since they require to be treated differently for preservation. 



I. Dry Preservation of Flowers. 



The dry preservation of flowers in the ordinary flattened 

 condition has long been known and practised, and for certain pur- 

 poses it serves all requirements. Indeed, it seems the only practi- 

 cable method when extensive collections have to be preserved, 

 gathered over wide areas and in a limited period of time ; but 



